Recent Development of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems

Abstract: The use of renewable energies continues to increase. However, the energy obtained from renewable resources is variable over time. The amount of energy produced from the renewable energy sources (RES) over time depends on the meteorological conditions of the region chosen, the season, the relief, etc. So, variable power and nonguaranteed energy produced by renewable sources implies intermittence of the grid. The key lies in supply sources integrated to a hybrid system (HS)

Using MapReduce Streaming for Distributed Life Simulation on the Cloud

Distributed software simulations are indispensable in the study of large-scale life models but often require the use of technically complex lower-level distributed computing frameworks, such as MPI. We propose to overcome the complexity challenge by applying the emerging MapReduce (MR) model to distributed life simulations and by running such simulations on the cloud. Technically, we design optimized MR streaming algorithms for discrete and continuous versions of Conway’s life according to a general MR streaming pattern. We chose life because it is simple enough as a testbed for MR’s applicability to a-life simulations and general enough to make our results applicable to various lattice-based a-life models. We implement and empirically evaluate our algorithms’ performance on Amazon’s Elastic MR cloud. Our experiments demonstrate that a single MR optimization technique called strip partitioning can reduce the execution time of continuous life simulations by 64%. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to propose and evaluate MR streaming algorithms for lattice-based simulations. Our algorithms can serve as prototypes in the development of novel MR simulation algorithms for large-scale lattice-based a-life models.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/scs_books/1014/thumbnail.jp

New fish product ideas generated by European consumers

Food lifestyles are changing; people have less time to spend on food purchase and preparation, therefore leading to increasing demand for new food products. However, around 76% of new food products launched in the market fail within the first year (Nielsen, 2014). One of the most effective ways to enhance new products’ success in the market is by incorporating consumers’ opinions and needs during the New Product Development (NPD) process (Moon et al., 2018). This study aimed to explore the usefulness of a qualitative technique, focus groups, to generate new aquaculture fish product ideas as well as to identify the most relevant product dimensions affecting consumers’ potential acceptance.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Cryopreservation of retinal organoids and applications of RPE cells for disease modelling in retinitis pigmentosa

PhD ThesisGeneration of retinal cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provides great opportunities for research and therapeutics. In this study, we generated hiPSC-derived retinal cells to evaluate their ability to be cryopreserved, shipped at room temperature (RT), and assess their application in disease modelling by studying the mechanisms causing Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). To develop an effective cryopreservation protocol for the long-term storage of retinal organoids (ROs), previously published cryopreservation methods were used. The structure and presence of retinal cells in cryopreserved ROs were assessed by immunofluorescence analysis. The ‘Master Liver Supercooling’ protocol was the most promising among all in preserving the overall retinal structure. However, success was limited, and only PRs survived. To assess whether hiPSC-derived ROs can be shipped at RT, ROs were kept at RT for 5 days or shipped internationally for 3 days using a commercial container. The structure, morphology and function of ROs were assessed by immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy and electrophysiology, indicating no differences between control, RT incubated and shipped organoids. This study provides an effective shipping method to facilitate the transportation of ROs at RT. To identify the disease mechanisms of RP associated with PRPF31 mutations (known as RP11), proteomic analyses of hiPSCs-retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells from control and RP11- patients were conducted. These showed that RNA splicing, retinoid metabolism and visual perception, and protein folding pathways were affected. RP11-RPE cells were characterised by reduced functional PRPF31 protein and the presence of insoluble aggregates containing mutant PRPF31, misfolded and ubiquitin-conjugated proteins. The waste disposal mechanisms were impaired exacerbating aggregate formation which was associated with cell death activation. Treatment of RP11-RPE cells with rapamycin (autophagy activator) reduced cytoplasmic aggregates and improved cell survival. This thesis highlights the applications of hiPSC-derived retinal cells and provides more insights in cryopreservation, transportation and potential therapeutics for RP

Smoking and Second Hand Smoking in Adolescents with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Report from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Cohort Study

The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of smoking and second hand smoking [SHS] in adolescents with CKD and their relationship to baseline parameters at enrollment in the CKiD, observational cohort study of 600 children (aged 1-16 yrs) with Schwartz estimated GFR of 30-90 ml/min/1.73m2. 239 adolescents had self-report survey data on smoking and SHS exposure: 21 [9%] subjects had “ever” smoked a cigarette. Among them, 4 were current and 17 were former smokers. Hypertension was more prevalent in those that had “ever” smoked a cigarette (42%) compared to non-smokers (9%), p\u3c0.01. Among 218 non-smokers, 130 (59%) were male, 142 (65%) were Caucasian; 60 (28%) reported SHS exposure compared to 158 (72%) with no exposure. Non-smoker adolescents with SHS exposure were compared to those without SHS exposure. There was no racial, age, or gender differences between both groups. Baseline creatinine, diastolic hypertension, C reactive protein, lipid profile, GFR and hemoglobin were not statistically different. Significantly higher protein to creatinine ratio (0.90 vs. 0.53, p\u3c0.01) was observed in those exposed to SHS compared to those not exposed. Exposed adolescents were heavier than non-exposed adolescents (85th percentile vs. 55th percentile for BMI, p\u3c 0.01). Uncontrolled casual systolic hypertension was twice as prevalent among those exposed to SHS (16%) compared to those not exposed to SHS (7%), though the difference was not statistically significant (p= 0.07). Adjusted multivariate regression analysis [OR (95% CI)] showed that increased protein to creatinine ratio [1.34 (1.03, 1.75)] and higher BMI [1.14 (1.02, 1.29)] were independently associated with exposure to SHS among non-smoker adolescents. These results reveal that among adolescents with CKD, cigarette use is low and SHS is highly prevalent. The association of smoking with hypertension and SHS with increased proteinuria suggests a possible role of these factors in CKD progression and cardiovascular outcomes