pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Solar irradiation and PV module temperature dispersion at a large-scale PV plant

When evaluating the performance of a photovoltaic (PV) system, it is extremely important to correctly measure the plant operating conditions: incident irradiation and cell temperature. At large-size PV plants, the possible dispersion of the plant operating conditions may affect the representativeness of the values measured at one single point. The available literature contains many observations on irradiance dispersion (typically associated to high temporal resolution experiments) and its effects on the PV power output (unexpected power transients, power fluctuations, etc.). However no studies have been made on the long-term energy-related effects of geographic dispersion of solar irradiation, which could affect, for example, to the uncertainty in determining energy performance indexes like PR. This paper analyses the geographical dispersion in the PV operating conditions observed at low temporal resolutions (day, month and year) at two PV plants located, respectively, in the south of Portugal and the north of Spain. It shows that daily irradiation deviations are significantly higher than is commonly supposed. Furthermore, once the measurement points are a certain distance apart (a few hundred metres), the deviations in irradiation appear to be independent of distance. This could help to determine how many irradiance sensors to install in order to reduce uncertainty. Daily mean temperature differences between different points at a large-scale PV plant range from 1 to 7?K and are not related to the distance between measurement points
New perspectives on rare connective tissue calcifying diseases

Connective tissue calcifying diseases (CTCs) are characterized by abnormal calcium deposition in connective tissues. CTCs are caused by multiple factors including chronic diseases (Type II diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease), the use of pharmaceuticals (e.g. warfarin, glucocorticoids) and inherited rare genetic diseases such as pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), generalized arterial calcification in infancy (GACI) and Keutel syndrome (KTLS). This review explores our current knowledge of these rare inherited CTCs, and highlights the most promising avenues for pharmaceutical intervention. Advancing our understanding of rare inherited forms of CTC is not only essential for the development of therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from these diseases, but also fundamental to delineating the mechanisms underpinning acquired chronic forms of CTC
Bounded prefix-suffix duplication

We consider a restricted variant of the prefix-suffix duplication operation, called bounded prefix-suffix duplication. It consists in the iterative duplication of a prefix or suffix, whose length is bounded by a constant, of a given word. We give a sufficient condition for the closure under bounded prefix-suffix duplication of a class of languages. Consequently, the class of regular languages is closed under bounded prefix-suffix duplication; furthermore, we propose an algorithm deciding whether a regular language is a finite k-prefix-suffix duplication language. An efficient algorithm solving the membership problem for the k-prefix-suffix duplication of a language is also presented. Finally, we define the k-prefix-suffix duplication distance between two words, extend it to languages and show how it can be computed for regular languages
Nitrous Oxide Abatement Coupled with Biopolymer Production As a Model GHG Biorefinery for Cost-Effective Climate Change Mitigation

Producción CientíficaN2O represents ∼6% of the global greenhouse gas emission inventory and the most important O3-depleting substance emitted in this 21st century. Despite its environmental relevance, little attention has been given to cost-effective and environmentally friendly N2O abatement methods. Here we examined, the potential of a bubble column (BCR) and an internal loop airlift (ALR) bioreactors of 2.3 L for the abatement of N2O from a nitric acid plant emission. The process was based on the biological reduction of N2O by Paracoccus denitrificans using methanol as a carbon/electron source. Two nitrogen limiting strategies were also tested for the coproduction of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) coupled with N2O reduction. High N2O removal efficiencies (REs) (≈87%) together with a low PHBV cell accumulation were observed in both bioreactors in excess of nitrogen. However, PHBV contents of 38–64% were recorded under N limiting conditions along with N2O-REs of ≈57% and ≈84% in the ALR and BCR, respectively. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses showed that P. denitrificans was dominant (>50%) after 6 months of experimentation. The successful abatement of N2O concomitant with PHBV accumulation confirmed the potential of integrating biorefinery concepts into biological gas treatment for a cost-effective GHG mitigation.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Proyect CTM2015-70442-R and Red NOVEDAR CTQ2014-51693-REDC
Weak localization in mesoscopic hole transport: Berry phases and classical correlations

We consider phase-coherent transport through ballistic and diffusive two-dimensional hole systems based on the Kohn-Luttinger Hamiltonian. We show that intrinsic heavy-hole light-hole coupling gives rise to clear-cut signatures of an associated Berry phase in the weak localization which renders the magneto-conductance profile distinctly different from electron transport. Non-universal classical correlations determine the strength of these Berry phase effects and the effective symmetry class, leading even to antilocalization-type features for circular quantum dots and Aharonov-Bohm rings in the absence of additional spin-orbit interaction. Our semiclassical predictions are quantitatively confirmed by numerical transport calculations
Correlation effects in Cr-Zinc chalogenides

The electronic properties and self-interaction effects of Zn1−xCrxTe (with x = 0.03125 and 0.0625), using the local spin density Approximation with a Hubbard term to improve the description of the d-Cr orbitals, is presented. These materials have potential technological applications as half-metallic and intermediate band materials. For a sufficiently high density of Cr substituting the Zn atoms they have an intermediate band in the host semiconductor band gap for a one spin component, with the Fermi energy located within the impurity band. An increase in the Cr concentration causes an overlap of the intermediate band with the valence band, leading to only half-metallic behaviour. One would expect a substantial shift in the position of the Cr d-bands due to the local Coulomb interaction. However, the Coulomb interaction induces almost no changes in the occupied bands. The expected shift is indeed observed in the conduction band. This point is analyzed and a comparison with other zinc chalogenides is made in accordance with the interactions Cr-host semiconductor
Comparison Between Supervised and Unsupervised Classifications of Neuronal Cell Types: A Case Study

In the study of neural circuits, it becomes essential to discern the different neuronal cell types that build the circuit. Traditionally, neuronal cell types have been classified using qualitative descriptors. More recently, several attempts have been made to classify neurons quantitatively, using unsupervised clustering methods. While useful, these algorithms do not take advantage of previous information known to the investigator, which could improve the classification task. For neocortical GABAergic interneurons, the problem to discern among different cell types is particularly difficult and better methods are needed to perform objective classifications. Here we explore the use of supervised classification algorithms to classify neurons based on their morphological features, using a database of 128 pyramidal cells and 199 interneurons from mouse neocortex. To evaluate the performance of different algorithms we used, as a “benchmark,” the test to automatically distinguish between pyramidal cells and interneurons, defining “ground truth” by the presence or absence of an apical dendrite. We compared hierarchical clustering with a battery of different supervised classification algorithms, finding that supervised classifications outperformed hierarchical clustering. In addition, the selection of subsets of distinguishing features enhanced the classification accuracy for both sets of algorithms. The analysis of selected variables indicates that dendritic features were most useful to distinguish pyramidal cells from interneurons when compared with somatic and axonal morphological variables. We conclude that supervised classification algorithms are better matched to the general problem of distinguishing neuronal cell types when some information on these cell groups, in our case being pyramidal or interneuron, is known a priori. As a spin-off of this methodological study, we provide several methods to automatically distinguish neocortical pyramidal cells from interneurons, based on their morphologies
A model and prototype implementation for tracking and tracing agricultural batch products along the food chain

There is an increasing demand of traceability in the food chain, statutory requirements are growing stricter and there is increasing pressure to develop standardized traceability systems. Each event in the chain, like production of transportation, packing, distribution or processing results in a different product which can have its own information associated within the tracing system. From the raw material to the sale of goods, more and more information needs to be gathered and made available. Supplementary information may also be collected at any step, in order to provide data for analysis and optimization of production practices.\ud
Using web-based systems for data processing, storage and transfer makes possible a flexible way of information access, networking and usability. In this paper an architectural proposal is presented and the proposed solution is tested by the implementation of a prototype. The software architecture presented makes use of a series of standards than offer new possibilities in traceability control and management. For testing the prototype, information from precision farming together with the information recorded during the transport and delivery was used. The system enables full traceability and it complies with all existing traceability standards
Cost of energy and mutual shadows in a two-axis tracking PV system

The performance improvement obtained from the use of trackers in a PV system cannot be separated from the higher requirement of land due to the mutual shadows between generators. Thus, the optimal choice of distances between trackers is a compromise between productivity and land use to minimize the cost of the energy produced by the PV system during its lifetime.\ud
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This paper develops a method for the estimation and optimization of the cost of energy function. It is built upon a set of equations to model the mutual shadows geometry and a procedure for the optimal choice of the wire cross-section. Several examples illustrate the use of the method with a particular PV system under different conditions of land and equipment costs.\ud
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This method is implemented using free software available as supplementary material
Valuing travel time variability: Characteristics of the travel time distribution on an urban road

Fosgerau and Karlstrom [The value of reliability. Transportation Research Part B, Vol. 43 (8–9), pp. 813–820, 2010] presented a derivation of the value of travel time variability (VTTV) with a number of desirable properties. This definition of the VTTV depends on certain properties of
the distribution of random travel times that require empirical verification. This paper therefore provides a detailed empirical investigation of the distribution of travel times on an urban road. Applying a range of nonparametric statistical techniques to data giving minute-by-minute travel times for a congested urban road over a period of five months, we show that the standardized
travel time is roughly independent of the time of day as required by the theory. Except for the extreme right tail, a stable distribution seems to fit the data well. The  travel time distributions on consecutive links seem to share a common stability parameter such that the travel time distribution for a sequence of links is also a stable distribution. The parameters of the travel time distribution
for a sequence of links can then be derived analytically from the link level distributions.
The retreat of public research and its adverse consequences on innovation

Does it matter whether research is conducted by the private business rather than in universities or government research centres? While most of the attention of science and innovation policy in the last decades has explored the relevance of the interconnections between public and business players in enhancing knowledge-based societies, a major trend has been ignored: both the quota of public R&D and its share over the total R&D investment has shrunk in the majority of OECD countries. As a result, a larger fraction of knowledge is today generated in the business sector. We argue that this is a major problem since public research and private research differ along a number of characteristics, e.g. public access, potential for future technological innovations, criteria of resource allocation. This trend can have adverse implications for long-term innovation and economic welfare in our societies. Through the lens of the public goods theory and of the sector of funding and execution of R&D for the period 1981–2013 we try to explain why
Sliding wear of a-C:H coatings against alumina in corrosive media

This paper reports the results obtained from the study of friction and sliding wear in two corrosive solutions of an a-C:H coating deposited on 316L stainless against an alumina ball, employed as static counter part. Calculations of the values of the von Mises stresses developed at the coating–substrate interface, as soon as the ball touches the coated sample, and how this state of stress inﬂuences the response of the coated system under the corrosion environment, are presented and discussed. The results obtained from these calculations, as well as from the experiments conducted in the present research, are compared with other experiments published in the literature, where a-C:H coatings deposited on different substrates and with different coating architectures were tested in similar corrosive media. It has been determined that in those systems, where the von Mises stress in the coating, found in the vicinity of the interface, exceeds the threshold value of approximately 370MPa, coating failure with spallation will take place, regardless of the substrate nature on which this coating has been deposited. From this analysis it has been concluded that the coating yield strength is of utmost importance in conferring the a-C:H coated system there quired stability in a corrosive solution
Molecular dynamics in electrospun amorphous plasticized polylactide fibers

The molecular dynamics in the amorphous phase of electrospun fibers of polylactide (PLA) has been investigated using the cooperative rearranging region concept. An unusual and significant increase of the cooperativity length at the glass transition induced by the electrospinning has been observed. This behavior is attributed to the singularity of the amorphous phase organization. Electrospun PLA fibers rearrange in a pre-ordered metastable state which is characterized by highly oriented but non-crystalline polymer chains, and the presence of highly cohesive mesophase which plays the role of an anchoring point in the amorphous phase. The successful processing of electrospun fibers of plasticized polylactide is also demonstrated. It is shown that the plasticizer remains in the polymer matrix of the nanofiber after electrospinning. When PLA is plasticized, the loosening of the macromolecules prevails over the preferential orientation of the chains; therefore no mesophase is formed during the electrospinning and the cooperativity length remains the same. When the content of plasticizer increases, the inter-chain characteristic distances estimated from wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) are redistributed, suggesting a change in the level of interactions between macromolecules. It is assumed that the resulting decrease of the cooperativity length is driven by the progressive reduction of the number of inter-chain weak bonds. It is shown that in a non-confined environment, the number of structural entities involved in the alpha relaxation is strongly dependent on the level of physical interactions in the amorphous phase
Dynamic VRP in pharmaceutical distribution—a case study

Abstract  In recent years, the pharmaceutical sector has gone through deep changes, partially due to the ageing of the population and to the increasing of costs in health care services. With margins that are getting lower and lower, the drug distribution problem to pharmacies has become much more important, particularly in large metropolitan areas.  As pharmacies demand shorter delivery times, vehicle routing and scheduling problems become harder for distributors. It is recognized that the traditional system based on fixed routes does not fulfil the expectations of pharmacies and may, in some cases, be quite inefficient for distributiors.    In this work, a case study has been carried out and a change of the traditional approach is proposed, by adopting a system of variable routes that are dynamically designed, based on orders that are constantly arriving along the day.    A dynamic algorithm is therefore proposed, meant to be run several times a day. It has four phases: first, a clustering of the orders is performed; second, potential routes are constructed; third, a route is selected for operation; and finally, that route is subject to an improvement process. The selection of the next route to be launched may be postponed in order to take advantage of subsequent information. The algorithm has been tested in the case study, by simulating one week of operation, and by comparing the results with the plan produced by the traditional wayhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10100-006-0167-
Behaviour of steel prestressing wires under extreme conditions of strain rate and temperature

The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the behaviour of steel prestressing wires under likely conditions that could be expected during a fire or impact loads. Four loadings were investigated: a) the influence of strain rate – from 10–3 to 600 s–1 – at room temperature, b) the influence of temperature – from 24 to 600 °C – at low strain rate, c) the influence of the joint effect of strain rate and temperature, and d) damage after three plausible fire scenarios.\ud
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At room temperature it was found that using “static” values is a safe option. At high temperatures our results are in agreement with design codes. Regarding the joint effect of temperature and strain rate, mechanical properties decrease with increasing temperature, although for a given temperature, yield stress and tensile strength increase with strain rate. The data provided can be used profitably to model the mechanical behaviour of steel wires under different scenarios
Ultra-High Efficiency, High-Concentration PV System  Based On Spectral Division Between GaInP/GaInAs/Ge And  BPC Silicon Cells

A novel HCPV nonimaging concentrator concept with high concentration (>500×) is presented. It uses the combination of a commercial concentration GaInP∕GaInAs∕Ge 3J cell and a concentration Back‐Point‐Contact (BPC) concentration silicon cell for efficient spectral utilization, and external confinement techniques for recovering the 3J cell′s reflection. The primary optical element (POE) is a flat Fresnel lens and the secondary optical element (SOE) is a free‐form RXI‐type concentrator with a band‐pass filter embedded it, both POE and SOE performing Köhler integration to produce light homogenization. The band‐pass filter sends the IR photons in the 900–1200 nm band to the silicon cell. Computer simulations predict that four‐terminal terminal designs could achieve ∼46% added cell efficiencies using commercial 39% 3J and 26% Si cells. A first proof‐of concept receiver prototype has been manufactured using a simpler optical architecture (with a lower concentration, ∼ 100× and lower simulated added efficiency), and experimental measurements have shown up to 39.8% 4J receiver efficiency using a 3J with peak efficiency of 36.9
Reduced order modeling of three dimensional external aerodynamic flows

A method is presented to construct computationally efficient reduced-order models (ROMs) of three-dimensional aerodynamic flows around commercial aircraft components. The method is based on the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of a set of steady snapshots, which are calculated using an industrial solver based on some Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. The POD-mode amplitudes are calculated by minimizing a residual defined from the Euler equations, even though the snapshots themselves are calculated from viscous equations. This makes the ROM independent of the peculiarities of the solver used to calculate the snapshots. Also, both the POD modes and the residual are calculated using points in the computational mesh that are concentrated in a close vicinity of the aircraft, which constitute a much smaller number than the total number of mesh points. Despite these simplifications, the method provides quite good approximations of the flow variables distributions in the whole computational domain, including the boundary layer attached to the aircraft surface and the wake. Thus, the method is both robust and computationally efficient, which is checked considering the aerodynamic flow around a horizontal tail plane, in the transonic range 0.4?Mach number?0.8, ?3°?angle of attack?3°
Artificial metaplasticity prediction model for cognitive rehabilitation outcome in acquired brain injury patients

Objective\ud
The main purpose of this research is the novel use of artificial metaplasticity on multilayer perceptron (AMMLP) as a data mining tool for prediction the outcome of patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) after cognitive rehabilitation. The final goal aims at increasing knowledge in the field of rehabilitation theory based on cognitive affectation.\ud
Methods and materials\ud
The data set used in this study contains records belonging to 123 ABI patients with moderate to severe cognitive affectation (according to Glasgow Coma Scale) that underwent rehabilitation at Institut Guttmann Neurorehabilitation Hospital (IG) using the tele-rehabilitation platform PREVIRNEC©. The variables included in the analysis comprise the neuropsychological initial evaluation of the patient (cognitive affectation profile), the results of the rehabilitation tasks performed by the patient in PREVIRNEC© and the outcome of the patient after a 3–5 months treatment. To achieve the treatment outcome prediction, we apply and compare three different data mining techniques: the AMMLP model, a backpropagation neural network (BPNN) and a C4.5 decision tree.\ud
Results\ud
The prediction performance of the models was measured by ten-fold cross validation and several architectures were tested. The results obtained by the AMMLP model are clearly superior, with an average predictive performance of 91.56%. BPNN and C4.5 models have a prediction average accuracy of 80.18% and 89.91% respectively. The best single AMMLP model provided a specificity of 92.38%, a sensitivity of 91.76% and a prediction accuracy of 92.07%.\ud
Conclusions\ud
The proposed prediction model presented in this study allows to increase the knowledge about the contributing factors of an ABI patient recovery and to estimate treatment efficacy in individual patients. The ability to predict treatment outcomes may provide new insights toward improving effectiveness and creating personalized therapeutic interventions based on clinical evidence