Issues Associated With Microgrid Integration

Microgrid (MG) is the vital technology that can be utilized to supply electricity to rural areas by fulfilling various aspects of electricity such as sustainability and reliability. Further, MG technology can also be used as localized generation sources and back up supply source. As MG can be worked in interconnected mode, various issues related to interconnection with utility grid are raised. Several issues such as technical, regulatory, and operational are associated with grid integration. Therefore, this chapter deals with the issues that are associated with the grid integration of microgrid.

Streamflow Reconstructions Using Tree-Ring Based Paleo Proxies for the Upper Adige River Basin (Italy)

The Adige River Basin (ARB) provides a vital water supply source for varying demands including agriculture (wine production), energy (hydropower) and municipal water supply. Given the importance of this river system, information about past (paleo) drought and pluvial (wet) periods would quantity risk to water managers and planners. Annual streamflow data were obtained for four gauges that were spatially located within the upper ARB. The Old World Drought Atlas (OWDA) provides an annual June–July–August (JJA) self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) derived from 106 tree-ring chronologies for 5414 grid points across Europe from 0 to 2012 AD. In lieu of tree-ring chronologies, the OWDA dataset was used as a proxy to reconstruct both individual gauge and ARB regional streamflow from 0 to 2012. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the four ARB streamflow gauges to generate one representative vector of regional streamflow. This regional streamflow vector was highly correlated with the four individual gauges, as coefficient of determination (R2) values ranged from 85% to 96%. Prescreening methods included correlating annual streamflow and scPDSI cells (within a 450 km radius) in which significant (p ≤ 0.01 or 99% significance) scPDSI cells were identified. The significant scPDSI cells were then evaluated for temporal stability to ensure practical and reliable reconstructions. Statistically significant and temporally stable scPDSI cells were used as predictors (independent variables) to reconstruct streamflow (predictand or dependent variable) for both individual gauges and at the regional scale. This resulted in highly skillful reconstructions of upper ARB streamflow from 0 to 2012 AD. Multiple drought and pluvial periods were identified in the paleo record that exceed those observed in the recent, historic record. Moreover, this study concurred with streamflow reconstructions in nearby European watersheds.

Preventive Effects of β-Cryptoxanthin, a Potent Antioxidant and Provitamin A Carotenoid, on Lifestyle-Related Diseases—A Central Focus on Its Effects on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Humans usually get dietary carotenoids from foods such as green and yellow vegetables and algae. Carotenoids have been reported to effectively reduce the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases. β-Cryptoxanthin, which is an antioxidative carotenoid and a type of provitamin A, is metabolically converted to vitamin A. β-Cryptoxanthin has recently gained attention for its risk-reducing effects on lifestyle-related diseases, especially on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), from epidemiological, interventional, and mechanistic studies. Retinoids (vitamin A) have also been reported to be useful as a therapeutic agent for NAFLD. Provitamin A is known to serve as a supply source of retinoids through metabolic conversion by the regulated activity of β-carotene 15,15′-monooxygenase 1 (BCMO1) to the retina only when retinoids are deficient. From mechanistic studies using NAFLD-model mice, β-cryptoxanthin has been shown to contribute to the improvement of NAFLD through a multifaceted approach, including improved insulin resistance, suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation, a reduction of macrophages and a shift of their subsets, and control of lipid metabolism by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) family activation, which are also expected to have clinical applications. β-Cryptoxanthin has the potential to prevent lifestyle-related diseases from different angles, not only as an antioxidant but also as a retinoid precursor.

Creation of an environmental protection area in a public supply source: possibilities and challenges in Cianorte - Paraná

This work analyzed the contribution that the creation of Environmental Protection Areas (EPA) may bring to the conservation of hydrographic basins used as public water sources. The object of study of this work was the hydrographic basin of the Ligeiro River which, by 2022 onwards, will be the new source of public supply in the city of Cianorte-Paraná, replacing the hydrographic basin of the Bolívar stream. The latter has environmental impacts caused mainly by the expansion of urban areas and inadequate practice of land use, occupation, and management, which affects the population’s supply, particularly on days with high levels of rainfall. The study area involved the creation of two municipal EPAs in the hydrographic basin of the Ligeiro River, located in the municipalities of Araruna and Cianorte, with areas of 209.76 km² and 219.82 km², respectively. It is believed that the creation of Environmental Protection Areas in the Ligeiro River hydrographic basin will also present challenges, but it will enable the conservation of natural resources and, especially, of water resources, given the quality of the water. It is expected that these actions will help to minimize or even prevent, in the future, the Ligeiro river hydrographic basin from being as or more impacted as the Bolivar stream basin.

Diagnosis and treatment of flexibacteriosis of koi carp (Cyprinus carpio koi)

Ornamental fish farming is an intensively developing area in aquaculture. A significant volume of contraband products and the lack of sanitary and quarantine measures is an important problem associated with the development of this knowledge area. The article is devoted to the problem of timely detection and diagnosis of flexibacteriosis of carp, affecting one of the most popular and expensive objects of ornamental fish farming, koi carp. The main causes of fish diseases are natural outbreaks of infections and infection with pathogens from water sources, as well as violations of the rules of transportation and quarantine of imported fish. Timely and constant veterinary control makes it possible to assess the epizootic situation for fish diseases, the degree of pollution of the fishery reservoir and make recommendations for optimizing preventive measures that ensure the epizootic well-being of the fishery reservoir in the conditions of integrated technology. The cultivation of koi by amateurs in private ponds, aquariums poses a danger of introducing infections into other reservoirs, including natural ones, as well as regions where the outbreak has never been recorded. The main task is the prevention of diseases, which can be ensured by monitoring the water quality of the water supply source, as well as the use of a complex of veterinary and sanitary measures, including veterinary control over the transportation of fish, preventive quarantine of imported material and quarantine in dysfunctional farms, preventive disinfection and disinfection of structures, inventory, pond beds; regular ichthyopathological examination of the farm; preventive antiparasitic treatment of fish.

Fold-Related Fracture Distribution in Neogene, Triassic, and Jurassic Sandstone Outcrops, Northern Margin of the Tarim Basin, China: Guides to Deformation in Ultradeep Tight Sandstone Reservoirs

Ultradeep (6-8 km depth) low-porosity sandstone oil and gas reservoirs, in the Kuqa thrust belt of Tarim Basin, are an important natural gas supply source of China. Both opening and shear-mode fractures are extremely necessary reservoir elements for gas production in these rocks but are challenging to characterize with sparse core and well log observations. Here, we use outcrops of some of the same units from four exposed folds to describe fracture types and patterns. These four folds have a range of shapes that are representative of folds at depth. At the Dongq, Kuqa, Misib, and Tuger anticlines, we analyzed fracture type, cross-cutting and abutting relations, density, spatial arrangement, kinematic aperture, orientation, and mineral fill. One-dimensional inventories, field sketches, photographs, and LiDAR imagery documented fracture patterns. Most dips of all fractures shown everywhere on the fold are greater than 60 degrees (over 50%). Fracture kinematic apertures are 3 mm to ~6 mm, and fracture density is 0.5 traces/m to ~1.5 traces/m. All fractures are divided into shear mode (or small faults) and opening mode. Shear-mode fractures, with high dips that strike N-S, mutually crosswise arranged with intersection angles of 30-60 degrees, are found extensively on the flanks of these folds. In contrast, most opening-mode fractures strike E-W, are arranged parallel to each other, and are localized in fold hinges. Besides, exposed folds (reservoir analogues, figure 1) in a proximal (hinterland, Tuger and Misib) position have fracture abundance distributions and aperture size patterns compatible with fold-related fracture development whereas distal (basinward, Kuqa and Dongq) folds lack this correlation, but patterns in distal folds might be explained by overprinted effects of lithological heterogeneity on fracture abundance or the effects of nearby faults. The positive correlation between fold-related strain and fracture spatial distribution in the northern (proximal) folds permitted inference of fracture patterns in deep wells.

Double-Input Multi-Output Pressure Control System Based on Addressable Pressure Component

Soft robots driven by pressurized fluid have recently been attracted more attention and achieved a variety of innovative applications in bionics, medical surgery, rehabilitation, search, and rescue system. And they have been demonstrated to be able to perform many different tasks, especially in some conditions of demand a high degree of compliance. Generally, they consisted of multiple actuate channels that require independent works. Consequently, a mass of pressure regulators and input pipelines are demanded, which will increase the complexity of the control system. To solve this problem, we propose a new pressure control method inspired by the control bus of electronic interface technology in this paper. An addressable pressure control bus system based on band-pass valve (BPV) and square wave of pressure (control signal) was designed. It consisted of a pressure supply source and an addressing signal, they are controled by two regulators, respectively. One of the pressure pipelines serves as the control bus to transmit the control pressure signal, which plays an addressing signal role in the system. The other serves as the pressure supply source of the multi-channel actuators. The BPV can be set to different opening pressure bands to realize the setting of diverse outputs address codes on the bus. This method discovered the work mode of double-input multi-output, which will get rids of the traditional control method of single-input single-output. In this paper, we designed the BPV and tested its function. To demonstrate the feasibility of this method proposed, a control system with two output ports was established. The result has shown that the output port can be selected by the pressure square wave signal, which realizes the function of single input multiple outputs. It reduces the complexity of the control strategy of the fluid control system.

First detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes in the Mearim River Watershed, Maranhão State, Brazil

The Mearim River Watershed has multiple uses e.g. leisure, navigation, fishing and subsistence agriculture and constitutes the main source of supply for the populations of municipalities situated along its course. In addition to being a water supply source, the existence of the ‘pororoca’ (tidal bore) effect in a stretch of the lower course of the Mearim River attracts people from several Brazilian states and different countries, as it offers excellent conditions for surfing in fresh water. In this respect, given the importance of the watershed, this study was developed to report the detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes in a stretch of the lower course of the Mearim River, located in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. Thirty water samples were collected from 10 sampling points. To quantify E. coli, the chromogenic enzymatic system was used and positive samples were isolated and biochemically identified. Pure cultures underwent DNA extraction by heating followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) characterization. At the time of the collections, an observation schedule was used to record information on the existence of rearing of livestock and domestic animals; businesses; residences; and fruit and vegetable farming on the riverbanks. The samples were analyzed for the mean populations of E. coli, which ranged from 444 to 2,585 MPN mL-1. Twenty bacterial isolates were identified and the diarrheal pathotypes ETEC, typical EPEC and atypical EPEC were detected. The detection of these pathotypes can represent an epidemiological risk and compromise several uses of this water resource, such as irrigation of fruits and vegetables consumed raw, fishing, animal watering and recreation. Structural investments in basic sanitation are essential to minimize environmental degradation resulting from anthropic activities and to act preventively in public health. In addition, the recovery of riparian forests along the watershed and the maintenance of vegetation in these areas are measures to reduce the transport of particles from the soil to the watercourses, improving the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of this water resource.

ENVIRONMENTAL FRAGILITY OF THE IRAÍ RIVER BASIN – WATER SUPPLY SOURCE FOR CURITIBA, PARANÁ

This research aimed to compare two methods of determining the environmental fragility of a vital source in the region of Curitiba, Paraná, the Iraí river basin. The determination of the environmental fragility was carried out based on the integration of geological, pedological, geomorphological characteristics and land use, using the emergent fragility and Natural Vulnerability to Soil Loss methods. Most of the Iraí River basin was classified as weak to intermediate environmental fragility by both methods. The methods showed equal fragility ratings in 74% of the basin area. The greatest fragilities were found in areas with recent sedimentation, soils with high instability, slopes higher than 12% and land use areas with low protective potential. The emergent fragility method highlighted the effect of land use, accentuating the fragility of the most vulnerable classes. In contrast, the Natural Vulnerability to Soil Loss method attenuated this land-use effect, softening the vulnerability. The fragility maps indicated that different results might be obtained, especially on the threshold between fragility classes and polygons where land-use makes the environment more vulnerable. Thus, the method selection for determining environmental fragility depends on the relevance necessary for land-use. The emergent fragility method is advantageous for showing the fragility in areas mainly occupied by classes of land use of high vulnerability.

Supply Chain Innovations and Partial Ownership

When knowledge sharing is non-contractible, we show that competing downstream firms may prefer to help improve an inefficient alternative supply source than help to improve the technology of the efficient actual supplier—even if this is costless. A downstream firm can have incentives to decrease the efficiency of the actual supplier in order to improve its outside options. Non-controlling partial backward ownership can—through the participation of the downstream firm(s) in the upstream profits—align the incentives of the supplier and its competing customers. This improves industry performance while simultaneously benefiting consumers. Partial backward ownership has similar effects as strengthening a downstream firm’s bargaining power and making knowledge sharing contractible.