A Methodology for Exploiting Smart Prosumers’ Flexibility in a Bottom-Up Aggregation Process

The electrical power system is evolving in a way that requires new measures for ensuring its secure and reliable operation. Demand-side aggregation represents one of the more interesting ways to provide ancillary services by the coordinated management of a multitude of different distributed resources. In this framework, aggregators play the main role in ensuring the effectiveness of the coordinated action of the distributed resources, usually becoming mediators in the relation between distribution system operators and smart prosumers. The research project DEMAND recently introduced a new concept in demand-side aggregation by proposing a scheme without a central aggregator where prosumers can share and combine their flexibility with a collaboration–competition mechanism in a platform called Virtual Aggregation Environment (VAE). This paper, after a brief introduction to the DEMAND project, presents the algorithm for the day-ahead estimation of prosumers’ flexibility and the cooperative–competitive algorithm for the bottom-up aggregation. The first algorithm evaluates various couples of power variation and desired remuneration to be sent to the VAE for further elaborations and, for showing its potentiality, is applied to two different case studies: a passive user with only controllable loads and prosumers with controllable loads, photovoltaics and a storage system. The aggregation algorithm is instead discussed in detail, and its performance is evaluated for different population sizes.

Manipulating Interfacial Stability Via Absorption-Competition Mechanism for Long-Lifespan Zn Anode

The stability of Zn anode in various Zn-based energy storage devices is the key problem to be solved. Herein, aromatic aldehyde additives are selected to modulate the interface reactions between the Zn anode and electrolyte. Through comprehensively considering electrochemical measurements, DFT calculations and FEA simulations, novel mechanisms of one kind of aromatic aldehyde, veratraldehyde in inhibiting Zn dendrite/by-products can be obtained. This additive prefers to absorb on the Zn surface than H2O molecules and Zn2+, while competes with hydrogen evolution reaction and Zn plating/stripping process via redox reactions, thus preventing the decomposition of active H2O near the interface and uncontrollable Zn dendrite growth via a synactic absorption-competition mechanism. As a result, Zn–Zn symmetric cells with the veratraldehyde additive realize an excellent cycling life of 3200 h under 1 mA cm−2/1 mAh cm−2 and over 800 h even under 5 mA cm−2/5 mAh cm−2. Moreover, Zn–Ti and Zn–MnO2 cells with the veratraldehyde additive both obtain elevated performance than that with pure ZnSO4 electrolyte. Finally, two more aromatic aldehyde additives are chosen to prove their universality in stabilizing Zn anodes.

Research on Market-oriented Allocation of Scientific and Technological Financial Factors

Objectives: This paper combs and defines the related concepts of the elements of science and technology finance, and determines the composition of the innovation elements of science and technology finance and the market system of science and technology finance elements based on the correlation and function among the modules such as the goal, subject, object, environment and mode of the allocation of science and technology finance elements. It is proposed that the market-oriented allocation of scientific and technological financial factors includes two steps: one is the factor flow under the ecological environment of scientific and technological financial innovation and regional gravity, and the other is the factor distribution and combination under the market-oriented mechanism. Through the coordination between the government and the market, we have improved the supply and demand mechanism, competition mechanism, price mechanism and feedback mechanism of the market of scientific and technological financial factors, and established the market-oriented allocation mechanism of scientific and technological financial factors. From the aspects of improving the basic guarantee of environmental factors, promoting the free flow of capital factors, improving the efficient supply of labor factors, promoting the strong support of data factors, improving the pricing mechanism of technical factors, and strengthening the risk control system, this paper puts forward some suggestions to improve the market-oriented allocation mechanism of scientific and technological financial factors.

Coupled Flow-Seepage–Elastoplastic Modeling for Competition Mechanism between Lateral Instability and Tunnel Erosion of a Submarine Pipeline

The instability of a partially embedded pipeline under ocean currents involves complex fluid–pipe–soil interactions, which may induce two typical instability modes; i.e., the lateral instability of the pipe and the tunnel erosion of the underlying soil. In previous studies, such two instability modes were widely investigated, but separately. To reveal the competition mechanism between the lateral instability and the tunnel erosion, a coupled flow-seepage–elastoplastic modeling approach was proposed that could realize the synchronous simulation of the pipe hydrodynamics, the seepage flow, and elastoplastic behavior of the seabed soil beneath the pipe. The coupling algorithm was provided for flow-seepage–elastoplastic simulations. The proposed model was verified through experimental and numerical results. Based on the instability criteria for the lateral instability and tunnel erosion, the two instability modes and their corresponding critical flow velocities could be determined. The instability envelope for the flow–pipe–soil interaction was established eventually, and could be described by three parameters; i.e., the critical flow velocity (Ucr), the embedment-to-diameter ratio (e/D), and the non-dimensional submerged weight of the pipe (G). There existed a transition line on the envelope when switching from one instability mode to the other. If the flow velocity of ocean currents gets beyond the instability envelope, either tunnel erosion or lateral instability could be triggered. With increasing e/D or concurrently decreasing G, the lateral instability was more prone to being triggered than the tunnel erosion. The present analyses may provide a physical insight into the dual-mode competition mechanism for the current-induced instability of submarine pipelines.

Analyzing the Co-Competition Mechanism of High-Tech Park from the Perspective of Complex Socioeconomic Network

The fusion of “innovation theory” and “ecology” gave birth to a large number of studies on “innovation ecology”, which mainly studies how to build an industrial ecological chain at the regional level, focusing on self-evolution, achieving ecological balance, and enabling the regional economy to take the path of sustainable innovation. This type of research borrows a lot of concepts from ecology and very vividly describes the competition and cooperation relationships formed by various agents in the innovation system, laying a good foundation for qualitative analysis of the inherent dynamics of innovation development. However, many studies focus on the analogous description of ecosystems and economic systems, lacking scientifically and rigorously quantitative empirical research as support. This paper uses network-based indicators such as degree, cluster coefficient, and betweenness centrality to measure the function and position of high-tech enterprises in the Z-Park of a business environment. In this way, we clarify the socioeconomic meaning of the topological structure of the regional innovation system. On this basis, it provides theoretical references for regional innovation development and sustainable development policy formulation.

Lugdulysin of Staphylococcus lugdunensis, a metalloprotease that inhibits and disrupts protein biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus

Background Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a commensal skin microorganism that, unlike other coagulase-negative staphylococci, presents increasing clinical importance. This species yields a metalloprotease called lugdulysin that may contribute to its higher degree of virulence. This study aimed to determine the biochemical characterization of the lugdulysin produced by S. lugdunensis clinical isolates and investigate its effect on the formation and disruption of biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. The protease was isolated and characterized for its optimal pH and temperature, activity in the presence of inhibitors and enzymatic kinetics. The influence of metal cofactor supplementation on proteolysis was also evaluated, with and without inhibitors. Finally, the protease capacity to inhibit and disrupt biofilms of different S. aureus lineages and biofilm matrix was analyzed. Results The protease optimal pH and temperature were 7.0 and 37° C, respectively. EDTA inhibited the protease, and the activity was not recovered by divalent ion supplementation. In addition, divalent ions did not change enzymatic activity without inhibitors, which was stable for up to 3 hours. Its structure was determined via homology modelling. The protease significantly inhibited the formation and disrupted established biofilms of S. aureus isolates with protein biofilm. Conclusions This study confirmed features of the lugdulysin metalloprotease and showed that this S. lugdunensis virulence factor may be a new competition mechanism and/or modulation of the staphylococcal biofilm.

Two-Sided Platform Ecosystems’ Structure, Architecture and Mechanism: an Integrated View--Under the Background of Industry 4.0

Platform model is one of the most prominent phenomena in modern business with the development of the Internet and the continuous expansion of the scale of industry 4.0 related industries. Two-sided platforms show features whereby two groups of agents interact with each other, in order to promote resource exchange and value creation. This review presents an integrated framework for understanding key factors of platform ecosystems, analyzing its member structure and technology architecture, exploring the dynamic mechanism and competition mechanism. Platform ecosystems refer to the core platform and its cooperative network of stakeholders, mainly consist of providers, sponsors, complementors and end users. The dynamic mechanism and competition mechanism are mainly in the realization of network effects and “winner-take-all”. These bring some management challenges, the preventive strategies are embodied in platform pricing, positioning, binding, in realization of ecosystem expansion and multi-win situation, to face the “egg-and chicken” syndrome and “get both sides of the market onboard”. Using this foundation, this research finally proposes five directions for future research in these settings, including the influence of platform technology architecture on complement or innovation, profit model of platform companies, environmental factors in platform competition, new challenge of platform envelopment and dynamic research methods, hoping to offer substantial new insights in the context of platforms and ecosystems.

Asymmetric yardstick competition: traditional procurement versus public-private partnerships

We consider local jurisdictions where rent-seeking administrators undertake identical infrastructure projects, choosing between two contractual arrangements: traditional procurement (TP) and public-private partnership (PPP). A yardstick competition mechanism is triggered through retrospective voters’ electoral decisions. A regime with TP in one jurisdiction and PPP in the other is likely to arise when projects are mildly lucrative and/or jurisdictions have moderate fiscal capacity. In this equilibrium, incumbents provide different levels of public services, face different re-election probabilities, and obtain different rents. By differentiating the project governance, incumbents specialize in rent extraction over time, thus hindering yardstick competition although jurisdictions are otherwise identical.