Abstract: We propose a formal framework for the specification of
the behavior of a system of agents, as well as those of the constituting
agents. This framework allows us to model each agent-s effectoric
capability including its interactions with the other agents. We also
provide an algorithm based on Milner-s "observation equivalence" to
derive an agent-s perception of its task domain situations from its
effectoric capability, and use "system computations" to model the
coordinated efforts of the agents in the system . Formal definitions
of the concept of "behavior equivalence" of two agents and that of
system computations equivalence for an agent are also provided.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology
based on market orientation (MO) and innovation orientation (IO),
and to illustrate to what extent housing companies in Sweden fit
within this framework. A qualitative study on 11 public housing
companies in the central part of Sweden has been conducted by the
help of open and semi-structured questions for data collection. Four
public housing company types- i.e. reactive prospector, proactive
prospector, reactive defender and proactive defender have been
identified by the combination of MO-IO dimensions. Future research
can include other dimensions like entrepreneurship and network to
observe how it particularly affects MO. An empirical study can
compare public and private housing companies on the basis of MO
and IO dimensions. One major contribution of the paper is the
proposition of typology which can be used to describe public housing
companies and deciding their future course of actions.
Abstract: Five lignin samples were fractionated with
Acetone/Water mixtures and the obtained fractions were subjected to
extensive structural characterization, including Fourier Transform
Infrared (FT-IR), Gel permeation Chromatography (GPC) and
Phosphorus-31 NMR spectroscopy (31P-NMR). The results showed
that for all studied lignins the solubility increases with the increment
of the acetone concentration. Wheat straw lignin has the highest
solubility in 90/10 (v/v) Acetone/Water mixture, 400 mg lignin being
dissolved in 1 mL mixture. The weight average molecular weight of
the obtained fractions increased with the increment of acetone
concentration and thus with solubility. 31P-NMR analysis based on
lignin modification by reactive phospholane into phosphitylated
compounds was used to differentiate and quantify the different types
of OH groups (aromatic, aliphatic, and carboxylic) found in the
fractions obtained with 70/30 (v/v) Acetone/Water mixture.
Abstract: When architecting an application, key nonfunctional requirements such as performance, scalability, availability and security, which influence the architecture of the system, are some times not adequately addressed. Performance of the application may not be looked at until there is a concern. There are several problems with this reactive approach. If the system does not meet its performance objectives, the application is unlikely to be accepted by the stakeholders. This paper suggests an approach for performance modeling for web based J2EE and .Net applications to address performance issues early in the development life cycle. It also includes a Performance Modeling Case Study, with Proof-of-Concept (PoC) and implementation details for .NET and J2EE platforms.
Abstract: Static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is a shunt connected voltage source converter (VSC), which can affect rapid control of reactive flow in the transmission line by controlling the generated a.c. voltage. The main aim of the paper is to design a power system installed with a Static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) and demonstrates the application of the linearised Phillips-heffron model in analyzing the damping effect of the STATCOM to improve power system oscillation stability. The proposed PI controller is designed to coordinate two control inputs: Voltage of the injection bus and capacitor voltage of the STATCOM, to improve the Dynamic stability of a SMIB system .The power oscillations damping (POD) control and power system stabilizer (PSS) and their coordinated action with proposed controllers are tested. The simulation result shows that the proposed damping controllers provide satisfactory performance in terms of improvements of dynamic stability of the system.
Abstract: Individually Network reconfiguration or Capacitor control
perform well in minimizing power loss and improving voltage
profile of the distribution system. But for heavy reactive power loads
network reconfiguration and for heavy active power loads capacitor
placement can not effectively reduce power loss and enhance
voltage profiles in the system. In this paper, an hybrid approach
that combine network reconfiguration and capacitor placement using
Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) is proposed to minimize power
loss reduction and improve voltage profile. The proposed approach
is tested on standard IEEE 33 and 16 bus systems. Computational
results show that the proposed hybrid approach can minimize losses
more efficiently than Network reconfiguration or Capacitor control.
The results of proposed method are also compared with results
obtained by Simulated Annealing (SA). The proposed method has
outperformed in terms of the quality of solution compared to SA.
Abstract: We report a lithography-free approach to fabricate the
biomimetics, quasi-beehive Si nanostructures (QBSNs), on
Si-substrates. The self-assembled SiGe nanoislands via the strain
induced surface roughening (Asaro-Tiller-Grinfeld instability) during
in-situ annealing play a key role as patterned sacrifice regions for
subsequent reactive ion etching (RIE) process performed for
fabricating quasi-beehive nanostructures on Si-substrates. As the
measurements of field emission, the bare QBSNs show poor field
emission performance, resulted from the existence of the native oxide
layer which forms an insurmountable barrier for electron emission. In
order to dramatically improve the field emission characteristics, the
platinum nanopillars (Pt-NPs) were deposited on QBSNs to form
Pt-NPs/QBSNs heterostructures. The turn-on field of Pt-NPs/QBSNs
is as low as 2.29 V/μm (corresponding current density of 1 μA/cm2),
and the field enhancement factor (β-value) is significantly increased to
6067. More importantly, the uniform and continuous electrons excite
light emission, due to the surrounding filed emitters from
Pt-NPs/QBSNs, can be easily obtained. This approach does not require
an expensive photolithographic process and possesses great potential
for applications.
Abstract: An enhanced particle swarm optimization algorithm
(PSO) is presented in this work to solve the non-convex OPF
problem that has both discrete and continuous optimization variables.
The objective functions considered are the conventional quadratic
function and the augmented quadratic function. The latter model
presents non-differentiable and non-convex regions that challenge
most gradient-based optimization algorithms. The optimization
variables to be optimized are the generator real power outputs and
voltage magnitudes, discrete transformer tap settings, and discrete
reactive power injections due to capacitor banks. The set of equality
constraints taken into account are the power flow equations while the
inequality ones are the limits of the real and reactive power of the
generators, voltage magnitude at each bus, transformer tap settings,
and capacitor banks reactive power injections. The proposed
algorithm combines PSO with Newton-Raphson algorithm to
minimize the fuel cost function. The IEEE 30-bus system with six
generating units is used to test the proposed algorithm. Several cases
were investigated to test and validate the consistency of detecting
optimal or near optimal solution for each objective. Results are
compared to solutions obtained using sequential quadratic
programming and Genetic Algorithms.
Abstract: This paper presents the study of a variable speed wind
energy conversion system based on a Doubly Fed Induction Generator
(DFIG) based on a sliding mode control applied to achieve control of
active and reactive powers exchanged between the stator of the DFIG
and the grid to ensure a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) of
a wind energy conversion system. The proposed control algorithm is
applied to a DFIG whose stator is directly connected to the grid and
the rotor is connected to the PWM converter. To extract a maximum
of power, the rotor side converter is controlled by using a stator
flux-oriented strategy. The created decoupling control between active
and reactive stator power allows keeping the power factor close to
unity. Simulation results show that the wind turbine can operate at
its optimum energy for a wide range of wind speed.
Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex
metabolic disorder that characterized by the presence of high glucose
in blood that cause from insulin resistance and insufficiency due to
deterioration β-cell Langerhans functions. T2DM is commonly
caused by the combination of inherited genetic variations as well as
our own lifestyle. Metallothionein (MT) is a known cysteine-rich
protein responsible in helping zinc homeostasis which is important in
insulin signaling and secretion as well as protection our body from
reactive oxygen species (ROS). MT scavenged ROS and free
radicals in our body happen to be one of the reasons of T2DM and its
complications. The objective of this study was to investigate the
association of MT1A and MT2A polymorphisms between T2DM and
control subjects among Malay populations. This study involved 150
T2DM and 120 Healthy individuals of Malay ethnic with mixed
genders. The genomic DNA was extracted from buccal cells and
amplified for MT1A and MT2A loci; the 347bp and 238bp banding
patterns were respectively produced by mean of the Polymerase
Chain Reaction (PCR). The PCR products were digested with Mlucl
and Tsp451 restriction enzymes respectively and producing
fragments lengths of (158/189/347bp) and (103/135/238bp)
respectively. The ANOVA test was conducted and it shown that there
was a significant difference between diabetic and control subjects for
age, BMI, WHR, SBP, FPG, HBA1C, LDL, TG, TC and family
history with (P0.05). The genotype
frequency for AA, AG and GG of MT1A polymorphisms was 72.7%,
22.7% and 4.7% in cases and 15%, 55% and 30% in control
respectively. As for MT2A, genotype frequency of GG, GC and CC
was 42.7%, 27.3% and 30% in case and 5%, 40% and 55% for
control respectively. Both polymorphisms show significant difference
between two investigated groups with (P=0.000). The Post hoc test
was conducted and shows a significant difference between the
genotypes within each polymorphism (P=0. 000). The MT1A and
MT2A polymorphisms were believed to be the reliable molecular
markers to distinguish the T2DM subjects from healthy individuals in
Malay populations.
Abstract: In this paper, a method based on Non-Dominated
Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA) has been presented for the Volt /
Var control in power distribution systems with dispersed generation
(DG). Genetic algorithm approach is used due to its broad
applicability, ease of use and high accuracy. The proposed method is
better suited for volt/var control problems. A multi-objective
optimization problem has been formulated for the volt/var control of
the distribution system. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm
based method proposed in this paper, alleviates the problem of tuning
the weighting factors required in solving the multi-objective volt/var
control optimization problems. Based on the simulation studies
carried out on the distribution system, the proposed scheme has been
found to be simple, accurate and easy to apply to solve the multiobjective
volt/var control optimization problem of the distribution
system with dispersed generation.
Abstract: In this investigation, anatase TiO2 thin films were
grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on glass substrates at
a high sputtering pressure and room temperature. The anatase films
were then annealed at 300-600 °C in air for a period of 1 hour. To
examine the structure and morphology of the films, X-ray diffraction
(XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods were used
respectively. From X-ray diffraction patterns of the TiO2 films, it was
found that the as-deposited film showed some differences compared
with the annealed films and the intensities of the peaks of the
crystalline phase increased with the increase of annealing
temperature. From AFM images, the distinct variations in the
morphology of the thin films were also observed. The optical
constants were characterized using the transmission spectra of the
films obtained by UV-VIS-IR spectrophotometer. Besides, optical
thickness of the film deposited at room temperature was calculated
and cross-checked by taking a cross-sectional image through SEM.
The optical band gaps were evaluated through Tauc model. It was
observed that TiO2 films produced at room temperatures exhibited
high visible transmittance and transmittance decreased slightly with
the increase of annealing temperatures. The films were found to be
crystalline having anatase phase. The refractive index of the films
was found from 2.31-2.35 in the visible range. The extinction
coefficient was nearly zero in the visible range and was found to
increase with annealing temperature. The allowed indirect optical
band gap of the films was estimated to be in the range from 3.39 to
3.42 eV which showed a small variation. The allowed direct band
gap was found to increase from 3.67 to 3.72 eV. The porosity was
also found to decrease at a higher annealing temperature making the
film compact and dense.
Abstract: The C3 plants are frequently suffering from exposure
to high temperature stress which limits the growth and yield of these
plants. This study seeks to clarify the physiological mechanisms of
heat tolerance in relation to oxidative stress in C3 species. Fifteen C3
species were exposed to prolonged moderately high temperature
stress 36/30°C for 40 days in a growth chamber. Chlorophyll
fluorescence (Fv/Fm) showed great difference among species at 40
days of the stress. The species showed decreases in Fv/Fm and
increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) content under stress condition
as well as negative correlation between Fv/Fm and MDA (r = -0.61*)
at 40 days of the stress. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content before
and after stress in addition to its response under stress showed great
differences among species. The results suggest that the difference in
heat tolerance among C3 species is closely associated with the ability
to suppress oxidative damage but not with the content of reactive
oxygen species (ROS) which is regulated by complex network.
Abstract: Optimal reactive power flow is an optimization problem
with one or more objective of minimizing the active power losses for
fixed generation schedule. The control variables are generator bus
voltages, transformer tap settings and reactive power output of the
compensating devices placed on different bus bars. Biogeography-
Based Optimization (BBO) technique has been applied to solve
different kinds of optimal reactive power flow problems subject
to operational constraints like power balance constraint, line flow
and bus voltages limits etc. BBO searches for the global optimum
mainly through two steps: Migration and Mutation. In the present
work, BBO has been applied to solve the optimal reactive power
flow problems on IEEE 30-bus and standard IEEE 57-bus power
systems for minimization of active power loss. The superiority of the
proposed method has been demonstrated. Considering the quality of
the solution obtained, the proposed method seems to be a promising
one for solving these problems.
Abstract: The adsorption of simulated aqueous solution containing textile remazol reactive dye, namely Red 3BS by palm shell activated carbon (PSAC) as adsorbent was carried out using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A Box-Behnken design in three most important operating variables; initial dye concentration, dosage of adsorbent and speed of impeller was employed for experimental design and optimization of results. The significance of independent variables and their interactions were tested by means of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) with 95% confidence limits. Model indicated that with the increasing of dosage and speed give the result of removal up to 90% with the capacity uptake more than 7 mg/g. High regression coefficient between the variables and the response (R-Sq = 93.9%) showed of good evaluation of experimental data by polynomial regression model.
Abstract: It is believed that DNA damaging toxic metabolites contributes to the development of different pathological conditions. To prevent harmful influence of toxic agents, cells developed number of protecting mechanisms, such as enzymatic reaction of detoxification of reactive metabolites and repair of DNA damage. The aim of the study was to examine the association between polymorphism of GSTT1/GSTM1 and XRCC1/3 genes and coronary artery disease (CAD) incidence. To examine a polymorphism of these genes in CAD susceptibility in patients and controls, PCR based genotyping assay was performed. For GST genes, frequency of GSTM1 null genotype among CAD affected group was significantly increased than in control group (P0.1). We found that neither XRCC1 Arg399Gln nor XRCC3 Thr241Met were associated with CAD risk. Obtained data suggests that GSTM1 null genotype carriers are more susceptible to CAD development.
Abstract: Wind power is among the most actively developing distributed generation (DG) technology. Majority of the wind power based DG technologies employ wind turbine induction generators (WTIG) instead of synchronous generators, for the technical advantages like: reduced size, increased robustness, lower cost, and increased electromechanical damping. However, dynamic changes of wind speed make the amount of active/reactive power injected/drawn to a WTIG embedded distribution network highly variable. This paper analyzes the effect of wind speed changes on the active and reactive power penetration to the wind energy embedded distribution network. Four types of wind speed changes namely; constant, linear change, gust change and random change of wind speed are considered in the analysis. The study is carried out by three-phase, non-linear, dynamic simulation of distribution system component models. Results obtained from the investigation are presented and discussed.
Abstract: A phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA) is a synthetic analogue of phorbol ester (PE), a natural toxic compound of Euphorbiaceae plant. The oil extracted from plants of this family is useful source for primarily biofuel. However this oil might also be used as a foodstuff due to its significant nutrition content. The limitations for utilizing the oil as a foodstuff are mainly due to a toxicity of PE. Currently, a majority of PE detoxification processes are expensive as include multi steps alcohol extraction sequence.
Ozone is considered as a strong oxidative agent. It reacts with PE by attacking the carbon-carbon double bond of PE. This modification of PE molecular structure yields a non toxic ester with high lipid content.
This report presents data on development of simple and cheap PE detoxification process with water application as a buffer and ozone as reactive component. The core of this new technique is an application for a new microscale plasma unit to ozone production and the technology permits ozone injection to the water-TPA mixture in form of microbubbles.
The efficacy of a heterogeneous process depends on the diffusion coefficient which can be controlled by contact time and interfacial area. The low velocity of rising microbubbles and high surface to volume ratio allow efficient mass transfer to be achieved during the process. Direct injection of ozone is the most efficient way to process with such highly reactive and short lived chemical.
Data on the plasma unit behavior are presented and the influence of gas oscillation technology on the microbubble production mechanism has been discussed. Data on overall process efficacy for TPA degradation is shown.
Abstract: This paper focuses on PSS/E modeling of wind farms
of Doubly-fed Induction Generator (DFIG) type and their impact on
issues of power system operation. Since Wind Turbine Generators
(WTG) don-t have the same characteristics as synchronous
generators, the appropriate modeling of wind farms is essential for
transmission system operators to analyze the best options of
transmission grid reinforcements as well as to evaluate the wind
power impact on reliability and security of supply. With the high
excepted penetration of wind power into the power system a
simultaneous loss of Wind Farm generation will put at risk power
system security and reliability. Therefore, the main wind grid code
requirements concern the fault ride through capability and frequency
operation range of wind turbines. In case of grid faults wind turbines
have to supply a definite reactive power depending on the
instantaneous voltage and to return quickly to normal operation.
Abstract: In the past decade, the development of microstrip
sensor application has evolved tremendously. Although cut and trial
method was adopted to develop microstrip sensing applications in the
past, Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) is a more effective as it ensures
less time is consumed and cost saving is achieved in developing
microstrip sensing applications. Therefore microstrip sensing
applications has gained popularity as an effective tool adopted in
continuous sensing of moisture content particularly in products that is
administered mainly by liquid content. In this research, the Cole-Cole
representation of reactive relaxation is applied to assess the
performance of the microstrip sensor devices. The microstrip sensor
application is an effective tool suitable for sensing the moisture
content of dielectric material. Analogous to dielectric relaxation
consideration of Cole-Cole diagrams as applied to dielectric
materials, a “reactive relaxation concept” concept is introduced to
represent the frequency-dependent and moisture content
characteristics of microstrip sensor devices.