Efficient Control Strategies to Optimize Electricity Cost and Consumer Satisfaction

2016 ◽  
pp. 69-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daud Mustafa Minhas ◽  
Sajjad Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Power Networks ◽  
Electricity Cost ◽  
Time Of Use Pricing ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Hybrid Switching

Increasing consumer demand of electricity is difficult for the conventional power system network to handle, regarding both cost and infrastructure. Instead of expanding the expensive infrastructure, power engineers are now focusing on improving efficiencies and effectiveness of existing power networks. This chapter specifically focuses on low cost electricity supply, by introducing the novel concept of digital energy management system in hybrid AC/DC micro-grid. It is assumed that grid is partially powered by time varying renewable resources. The concept of minimizing time average electricity cost is introduced by efficient utilization of these renewable resources and by making the load demands more flexible to operate while taking converter losses into account. Real time pricing model is introduced to elaborate the advantage of time-of-use pricing. Control decisions will be achieved by proposing a load scheduling and hybrid switching (LSHS) algorithm. This algorithm will be capable of supplying low cost electricity while serving the load demands under specific delay bounds.

Efficient Control Strategies to Optimize Electricity Cost and Consumer Satisfaction

2020 ◽  
pp. 18-44
Author(s):  
Daud Mustafa Minhas ◽  
Sajjad Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Power Networks ◽  
Electricity Cost ◽  
Time Of Use Pricing ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Hybrid Switching

Increasing consumer demand of electricity is difficult for the conventional power system network to handle, regarding both cost and infrastructure. Instead of expanding the expensive infrastructure, power engineers are now focusing on improving efficiencies and effectiveness of existing power networks. This chapter specifically focuses on low cost electricity supply, by introducing the novel concept of digital energy management system in hybrid AC/DC micro-grid. It is assumed that grid is partially powered by time varying renewable resources. The concept of minimizing time average electricity cost is introduced by efficient utilization of these renewable resources and by making the load demands more flexible to operate while taking converter losses into account. Real time pricing model is introduced to elaborate the advantage of time-of-use pricing. Control decisions will be achieved by proposing a load scheduling and hybrid switching (LSHS) algorithm. This algorithm will be capable of supplying low cost electricity while serving the load demands under specific delay bounds.

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy with CCD Sensors Speed by Parallelization, Low Cost by Using More Electronics

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (S2) ◽  
pp. 814-815
Author(s):  
Rudolf E. Großkopf
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Confocal Imaging ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Optical Scanning ◽  
Semiconductor Chip ◽  
Confocal Fluorescence ◽  
Mechanical Scanning ◽  
Low Costs ◽  
Novel Concept

CCD sensors are able to image a few megapixels within one frame. The image is scanned electronically within the semiconductor chip (instead of mechanical-optical scanning with moving mirrors, Nipkow discs or acousto-optical devices). Through parallelization. the novel concept yields speed at an unprecedented degree for confocal imaging Routine applications requiring high speed and low costs will profit from this principle. Thus, confocal imaging technology will take the same path television technology has taken—from mechanical scanning to the broadest possible application of electronicsIn order to go this way, a pinhole matrix is used on the illumination side. It has as many pinholes and the same pitch as the pitch and number of pixels of the CCD (Figure 1). In front of the receiver, a second pinhole matrix with the same pitch and number of pinholes is used All pinholes of both matrices and the pixels of the CCD are in confocal position.

scholarly journals An Agent-Based Crop Model Framework for Heterogeneous Soils

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Jorge Lopez-Jimenez ◽  
Nicanor Quijano ◽  
Alain Vande Wouwer
Keyword(s):  
Growth Models ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Soil Heterogeneity ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Crop Growth Models ◽  
Definition Of

Climate change and the efficient use of freshwater for irrigation pose a challenge for sustainable agriculture. Traditionally, the prediction of agricultural production is carried out through crop-growth models and historical records of the climatic variables. However, one of the main flaws of these models is that they do not consider the variability of the soil throughout the cultivation area. In addition, with the availability of new information sources (i.e., aerial or satellite images) and low-cost meteorological stations, it is convenient that the models incorporate prediction capabilities to enhance the representation of production scenarios. In this work, an agent-based model (ABM) that considers the soil heterogeneity and water exchanges is proposed. Soil heterogeneity is associated to the combination of individual behaviours of uniform portions of land (agents), while water fluxes are related to the topography. Each agent is characterized by an individual dynamic model, which describes the local crop growth. Moreover, this model considers positive and negative effects of water level, i.e., drought and waterlogging, on the biomass production. The development of the global ABM is oriented to the future use of control strategies and optimal irrigation policies. The model is built bottom-up starting with the definition of agents, and the Python environment Mesa is chosen for the implementation. The validation is carried out using three topographic scenarios in Colombia. Results of potential production cases are discussed, and some practical recommendations on the implementation are presented.

scholarly journals Pocket MUSE: an affordable, versatile and high-performance fluorescence microscope using a smartphone

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yehe Liu ◽  
Andrew M. Rollins ◽  
Richard M. Levenson ◽  
Farzad Fereidouni ◽  
Michael W. Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Consumer Electronics ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Point Of Care Diagnostics ◽  
Optical Module ◽  
Optical Configuration ◽  
User Friendly

AbstractSmartphone microscopes can be useful tools for a broad range of imaging applications. This manuscript demonstrates the first practical implementation of Microscopy with Ultraviolet Surface Excitation (MUSE) in a compact smartphone microscope called Pocket MUSE, resulting in a remarkably effective design. Fabricated with parts from consumer electronics that are readily available at low cost, the small optical module attaches directly over the rear lens in a smartphone. It enables high-quality multichannel fluorescence microscopy with submicron resolution over a 10× equivalent field of view. In addition to the novel optical configuration, Pocket MUSE is compatible with a series of simple, portable, and user-friendly sample preparation strategies that can be directly implemented for various microscopy applications for point-of-care diagnostics, at-home health monitoring, plant biology, STEM education, environmental studies, etc.

scholarly journals Racism and Antiracism in the Liberal International Order

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Zoltán I. Búzás
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Racial Diversity ◽  
International Order ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Racial Equality ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Current Regime ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

Abstract Formal racial equality is a key aspect of the current Liberal International Order (LIO). It is subject to two main challenges: resurgent racial nationalism and substantive racial inequality. Combining work in International Relations with interdisciplinary studies on race, I submit that these challenges are the latest iteration of struggles between two transnational coalitions over the LIO's central racial provisions, which I call racial diversity regimes (RDRs). The traditional coalition has historically favored RDRs based on racial inequality and racial nationalism. The transformative coalition has favored RDRs based on racial equality and nonracial nationalism. I illustrate the argument by tracing the development of the liberal order's RDR as a function of intercoalitional struggles from one based on racial nationalism and inequality in 1919 to the current regime based on nonracial nationalism and limited equality. Today, racial nationalists belong to the traditional coalition and critics of racial inequality are part of the transformative coalition. The stakes of their struggles are high because they will determine whether we will live in a more racist or a more antiracist world. This article articulates a comprehensive framework that places race at the heart of the liberal order, offers the novel concept of “embedded racism” to capture how sovereignty shields domestic racism from foreign interference, and proposes an agenda for mainstream International Relations that takes race seriously.

scholarly journals Using green infrastructure to stimulate discourse with and for planning practice: experiences with fuzzy concepts from a pan-European, a national and a local perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rieke Hansen ◽  
Martina van Lierop ◽  
Werner Rolf ◽  
Damjana Gantar ◽  
Ina Šuklje Erjavec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Planning Practice ◽  
Regional Project ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Guidance Documents ◽  
Novel Concept

AbstractConcepts such as green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem services gained popularity in recent discourses on urban planning. Despite their recognition as innovative concepts, all of them share a degree of ambiguity. Fuzziness can be a weakness but also an opportunity to shape novel concepts together with the stakeholders that are supposed to implement them in the planning practice. The paper traces concept development processes of green infrastructure through transdisciplinary knowledge exchange in three different projects, a European and a national research project and a local city-regional project as part of an EU regional cooperation project. In all projects, the green infrastructure concept evolved in different stages. Stakeholder involvement during these stages span from consultation to co-creation. The cases reveal two different approaches: concepts that are developed “for planning practice” might be based on a plethora of insight via consultation, while those “with planning practice” foster co-creation and might result in high acceptance among the involved stakeholders. Depending on the purpose of the novel concept, each approach can be beneficial and result in practice-related and operational products, such as guidance documents or planning strategies. However, the cases also show that in any new context an exchange about fuzzy concepts is not only needed but also a chance to stimulate cooperation and joint understanding about urban challenges and how to address them.

scholarly journals CD5 costimulation induces stable Th17 development by promoting IL-23R expression and sustained STAT3 activation

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (23) ◽  
pp. 6107-6114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelle de Wit ◽  
Yuri Souwer ◽  
Astrid J. van Beelen ◽  
Rosa de Groot ◽  
Femke J. M. Muller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Th17 Cells ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Β ◽  
Orphan Receptor ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cd28 Costimulation ◽  
Th17 Differentiation ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Transcription 3 ◽  
Lymphocyte Receptors

Abstract IL-17–producing CD4+ T helper (Th17) cells are important for immunity against extracellular pathogens and in autoimmune diseases. The factors that drive Th17 development in human remain a matter of debate. Here we show that, compared with classic CD28 costimulation, alternative costimulation via the CD5 or CD6 lymphocyte receptors forms a superior pathway for human Th17-priming. In the presence of the Th17-promoting cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-23, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), CD5 costimulation induces more Th17 cells that produce higher amounts of IL-17, which is preceded by prolonged activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a key regulator in Th17 differentiation, and enhanced levels of the IL-17–associated transcription factor retinoid-related orphan receptor-γt (ROR-γt). Strikingly, these Th17-promoting signals critically depend on CD5-induced elevation of IL-23 receptor (IL-23R) expression. The present data favor the novel concept that alternative costimulation via CD5, rather than classic costimulation via CD28, primes naive T cells for stable Th17 development through promoting the expression of IL-23R.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic Core Groups: a promising concept in search of a consistent methodological framework

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Pascual-García
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Ecology ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Traditional Classification ◽  
Taxonomical Classification ◽  
Novel Concept

AbstractIn this comment, we analyse the conceptual framework proposed by Aguirre de Cárcer (Microbiome 7:142, 2019), introducing the novel concept of Phylogenetic Core Groups (PCGs). This notion aims to complement the traditional classification in operational taxonomic units (OTUs), widely used in microbial ecology, to provide a more intrinsic taxonomical classification which avoids the use of pre-determined thresholds. However, to introduce this concept, the author frames his proposal in a wider theoretical framework based on a conceptualization of selection that we argue is a tautology. This blurs the subsequent formulation of an assembly principle for microbial communities, favouring that some contradictory examples introduced to support the framework appear aligned in their conclusions. And more importantly, under this framework and its derived methodology, it is not possible to infer PCGs from data in a consistent way. We reanalyse the proposal to identify its logical and methodological flaws and, through the analysis of synthetic scenarios, we propose a number of methodological refinements to contribute towards the determination of PCGs in a consistent way. We hope our analysis will promote the exploration of PCGs as a potentially valuable tool, helping to bridge the gap between environmental conditions and community composition in microbial ecology.

Performance Benefits of R718 Turbo-Compression Cycle Using 3-Port Condensing Wave Rotors

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir A. Kharazi ◽  
Pezhman Akbari ◽  
Norbert Mu¨ller
Keyword(s):  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Wave Rotor ◽  
Flash Evaporation ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Wave Rotors ◽  
Compression Cycle ◽  
Performance Map ◽  
Wave Compression ◽  
Novel Concept

A number of technical challenges have often hindered the economical application of refrigeration cycles using water (R718) as refrigerant. The novel concept of condensing wave rotor provides a solution for performance improvement of R718 refrigeration cycles. The wave rotor implementation can increase efficiency and reduce the size and cost of R718 units. The condensing wave rotor employs pressurized water to pressurize, desuperheat, and condense the refrigerant vapor — all in one dynamic process. In this study, the underlying phenomena of flash evaporation, shock wave compression, desuperheating, and condensation inside the wave rotor channels are described in a wave and phase-change diagram. A computer program based on a thermodynamic model is generated to evaluate the performance of R718 baseline and wave-rotor-enhanced cycles. The detailed thermodynamic approach for the baseline and the modified cycles is described. The effect of some key parameters on the performance enhancement is demonstrated as an aid for optimization. A generated performance map summarizes the findings.

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