Performance and Policy Evaluation of Solar Energy Technologies for Domestic Application in Ireland

The aim of this research is to investigate the techno-economic and environmental performance of domestic scale grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) and forced circulation solar water heating (SWH) systems in Ireland; and propose a new feed-in tariff designed using a large sample of high resolution electricity demand data in order to provide credible information for informed policy formulation. Detailed field trials of experimental installations of a 1.72 kWp grid-connected PV and two SWH systems (with 4 m2 flat plate and 3 m2 heat pipe evacuated tube collectors) were undertaken to collect data. The energy, economic and environmental performances of the systems was evaluated. Energy balance models for the systems were developed and validated using performance data. Drawing upon system performance data, the implications for policy formulation in Ireland were discussed. Results from the economic analysis on six commercially available sizes of gridconnected PV systems and the two SWH systems equipped with different types of auxiliary heating systems revealed that they are not yet economically viable in Ireland under the existing support policies and assumptions considered. However, projecting current system costs into the future using technology learning rates and market data revealed that some of the systems become economically viable at a later stage under different scenarios. Alternative policies were explored and a new feed-in tariff was designed that guarantees 50% market penetration for domestic scale PV system sizes. Grid parity between retail and wholesale electricity prices was projected to occur in 2023 and 2025 respectively under the best scenarios. A look at the marginal abatement costs for the PV and SWH systems show that on a purely economic basis, it does not make sense to promote investment in domestic-scale PV systems in Ireland now, since Ireland would have very little impact on the technology learning curves and thus system costs being a small market. However, existing policy support for solar thermal systems should be sustained since it improves the economic viability of SWH systems

Advanced Radio Frequency Antennas for Modern Communication and Medical Systems

The main objective of this book is to present novel radio frequency (RF) antennas for 5G, IOT, and medical applications. The book is divided into four sections that present the main topics of radio frequency antennas. The rapid growth in development of cellular wireless communication systems over the last twenty years has resulted in most of world population owning smartphones, smart watches, I-pads, and other RF communication devices. Efficient compact wideband antennas are crucial in RF communication devices. This book presents information on planar antennas, cavity antennas, Vivaldi antennas, phased arrays, MIMO antennas, beamforming phased array reconfigurable Pabry-Perot cavity antennas, and time modulated linear array

Broncho Dilator and Antihistaminic activity of Orithaz Thamarai Chooranam (Ionidium suffruticosum) and Lithontriptic activity of Neeradaippu Thelineer

ORITHAZHTHAMARAI CHOORANAM: I selected Orithazhthamarai chooranam in this study to elaborate the broncho dilator and anti-histaminic activity. Thereby collected the assorted information about the drug from existing literatures coming to an assertion about the drug and its efficacy on Bronchial asthma. The Phytochemical analysis of the drug evaluates that it contains iron, magnesium, phenolic compounds, glycosides, flavonoids and steroids which contributes much in relieving the symptoms of BA. The preclinical study showed that the drug has got safety and significant Broncho dilator and Anti-histaminic activity. The patients were relieved well from the signs and symptoms gradually and no adverse effects were reported. The clinical result reveals that 70% of patients were having 75% of improvement in the clinical features and biochemical reports. A remarkable action of Broncho dilation and Anti-histamine and high therapeutical value against the disease of Bronchial asthma has been revealed from this study of Orithazhthamarai chooranam. This must be implicated in the future studies to explorate the accurate target activity such as anti-tuberculosis and to explore the active compounds for the standardization. NEERADAIPPU THELINEER: Appertaining to strong literature evidence in Siddha text “neeradaippu thelineer” a herbo mineral preparation was opted for the trial to establish its activity in treating renal calculi. Collection of relevant literature evidences from various siddha texts and modern texts for the ingredients used in the preparation of neeradaippu thelineer which claims support as a lithontriptic agent. The trial drug was subjected to various studies through which the efficacy of the drug is proved. The preparation of the drug and the physical character of the trial drug were standardized. The chemical analysis reveals the presence of various essential elements like Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Phosphorus and sulphur. The acute and sub acute toxicological studies proved that the drug is non toxic. The pharmacological studies conducted in experimental animal models reveal that the drug has effective anti urolithiatic activity and very good diuretic activity as well. Clinical study had been conducted in 50 patients of whom 40 patients were treated in the outpatient department and 10 patients were treated in the inpatient post graduate department of Gunapadam. The results of the clinical study showed it is excellent and efficacious in treating urolithiasis. No clinically significant adverse effects were noted or observed during the course of the study. CONCLUSION: Renal calculus is a solid concretion or crystal aggregation formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals in the urine. Urinary super saturation in respect to constituents which form stone is generally considered to be one of the causative factors in calculogenisis. Nowadays lithotripsy or surgery is choice for kidney stones. though its adverse effects are very high. To get around these ill effects, a drug which inhibits calculogenisis with high success rates and having lower side effects and safety profile is an A1 choice for renal calculi; ergo in the present study the drug “neeradaippu thelineer” is taken for trial. Neeradaippu thelineer is a herbo mineral preparation. The preparation of the trial drug was standardized through physio-chemical and bio-chemical studies. In acute toxicity findings, there are no toxic effect was observed upto 2ml/kg of Neeradaipu thelineer treated via oral route over a period of 28 days. So, it can be concluded that the neeradaipu thelineer can be prescribed for therapeutic use in human with the dosage recommendations of upto 2ml/kg. Body weight p.o. The acute and sub-acute toxicity studies had been assessed in the drug which revealed nil toxic or harmful side effects, for as much as the drug is considered safe for human use. Also histopathological studies reveals that there are no toxic symptoms in acute and sub-acute studies. The anti urolithiatic activity of neeradaipu thelineer was very well established in EG induced animal model studies. The results showed the trial drug had good antilithiatic activity and also good diuretic activity. The clinical study had been conducted in 50 patients showed that the drug neeradaipu thelineer is very efficasious in treating renal calculi. The overall compliance of the drug was good. There are no clinically significant adverse reactions reported during the course of the study. From the above studies it is clear-cut that the drug neeradaipu thelineer which dissolves and expels the stones and considerable reduction in overall signs and symptoms is an excellent and efficasious elixir for all renal calculi. Further studies are required to establish the mechanism of action as an antiurolithiatic agent

Data collection design for equivalent groups equating:using a matrix stratification framework for mixed-format assessment

Mixed-format assessments are increasingly being used in large scale standardized assessments to measure a continuum of skills ranging from basic recall to higher order thinking skills. These assessments are usually comprised of a combination of (a) multiple-choice items which can be efficiently scored, have stable psychometric properties, and measure a broader range of concepts; and (b) constructed-response items that measure higher order thinking skills, but are associated with lower psychometric qualities and higher cost of test administration and scoring. The combination of such item types in a single test form complicates the use of psychometric procedures, particularly test equating which is a vital component in standardized assessment. Currently there is very little research that examines the robustness of current equating methodologies for tests that employ a mixed format. The purpose of this dissertation was twofold. The first goal of this research was to present evidence on the use of a predictive stratification framework based on an already available covariate to create equivalent groups. The second goal was to present supporting evidence on an appropriate data collection designs for mixed-format test equating. AP data from an AP Chemistry test and an AP Spanish Language test were obtained, covering a three year period. Two categorical covariates were created based on average AP score and school size from previous years. A 5 X 5 crosstab stratified cluster sampling matrix was created from the two new categorical variables and used to evaluate the accuracy and precision of mixed-format observed-score equipercentile equating. Six research conditions were investigated using a re-sampling framework as follows: (a) two random stratified cluster groups equating designs, (b) two test form conditions, (c) four sampling rates, (d) two AP test subjects, (e) two sampling frame conditions, and (f) three equating designs. There were two major findings summarized from the 500 bootstrap replications in each design condition. Firsts, the random stratified cluster group equating design had the most conditions with total equating error less than .1 standard deviation unit of the raw score scale. Second, Model 1, in which the equating function was estimated using a smaller sample and the larger sampling frame, was more accurate than Model 2 where the equating function was based on two equivalent samples from the stratified matrix. An unanticipated but interesting finding was that equating estimates from AP Spanish was more accurate compared to those from AP Chemistry despite the fact that the dis-attenuated correlation coefficient between the multiple-choice and constructed-response section was higher (unity) in AP Chemistry than in AP Spanish

The Use of Functional Data Analysis to Evaluate Activity in a Spontaneous Model of Degenerative Joint Disease Associated Pain in Cats

Introduction and objectives: accelerometry is used as an objective measure of physical activity in humans and veterinary species. In cats, one important use of accelerometry is in the study of therapeutics designed to treat degenerative joint disease (DJD) associated pain, where it serves as the most widely applied objective outcome measure. These analyses have commonly used summary measures, calculating the mean activity per-minute over days and comparing between treatment periods. While this technique has been effective, information about the pattern of activity in cats is lost. In this study, functional data analysis was applied to activity data from client-owned cats with (n = 83) and without (n = 15) DJD. Functional data analysis retains information about the pattern of activity over the 24-hour day, providing insight into activity over time. We hypothesized that 1) cats without DJD would have higher activity counts and intensity of activity than cats with DJD; 2) that activity counts and intensity of activity in cats with DJD would be inversely correlated with total radiographic DJD burden and total orthopedic pain score; and 3) that activity counts and intensity would have a different pattern on weekends versus weekdays. Results and conclusions: results showed marked inter-cat variability in activity. Cats exhibited a bimodal pattern of activity with a sharp peak in the morning and broader peak in the evening. Results further showed that this pattern was different on weekends than weekdays, with the morning peak being shifted to the right (later). Cats with DJD showed different patterns of activity from cats without DJD, though activity and intensity were not always lower; instead both the peaks and troughs of activity were less extreme than those of the cats without DJD. Functional data analysis provides insight into the pattern of activity in cats, and an alternative method for analyzing accelerometry data that incorporates fluctuations in activity across the day.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Sociales::Facultad de Ciencias Económicas::Escuela de Estadístic

Empirical Analysis of Firefighting – Large-Fire Suppression in Victoria, Australia

Large fires can cause the deaths of hundreds of people, burn thousands of homes, and cost billions of dollars in damages. Suppression is the primary means of large-fire management. Most suppression costs, billions of dollars, come from large-fire suppression. Yet, formal knowledge of large-fire suppression is limited. Fire managers make decisions that impact the lives of thousands of people. As the effectiveness of large-fire suppression is mainly unquantified, there is little beyond their tacit knowledge to guide decisions. Before we address effectiveness, we must address a fundamental question: ‘How are suppression resources used on large fires?’ This thesis uses qualitative and quantitative methods to answer that question. This thesis examines the suppression of 74 large fires that occurred between 2010 and 2015 in Victoria, Australia. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning made this research possible by providing operational data. The first step to resolving suppression resource use was to develop a framework of large-fire suppression (Chapter 3). A qualitative document analysis was performed on a subset of ten large fires. Three approaches were involved: 1) daily fire reconstructions were completed, covering 156 days, 2) a five-stage classification of suppression was developed by analysing the reconstructions and comments in 674 operational documents, and 3) content analysis was performed on the comments to classify discrete suppression tasks. Large-fire suppression was framed as a progression through five discrete stages with 20 identified tasks. A striking result was that 57% of resource use was on tasks that fall outside of current suppression modelling and productivity research

AUTOMATED TESTING OF SIMULINK/STATEFLOW MODELS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE DOMAIN

Context. Simulink/Stateflow is an advanced system modeling platform which is prevalently used in the Cyber Physical Systems domain, e.g., automotive industry, to implement software con- trollers. Testing Simulink models is complex and poses several challenges to research and prac- tice. Simulink models often have mixed discrete-continuous behaviors and their correct behav- ior crucially depends on time. Inputs and outputs of Simulink models are signals, i.e., values evolving over time, rather than discrete values. Further, Simulink models are required to operate satisfactory for a large variety of hardware configurations. Finally, developing test oracles for Simulink models is challenging, particularly for requirements capturing their continuous aspects. In this dissertation, we focus on testing mixed discrete-continuous aspects of Simulink models, an important, yet not well-studied, problem. The existing Simulink testing techniques are more amenable to testing and verification of logical and state-based properties. Further, they are mostly incompatible with Simulink models containing time-continuos blocks, and floating point and non- linear computations. In addition, they often rely on the presence of formal specifications, which are expensive and rare in practice, to automate test oracles. Approach. In this dissertation, we propose a set of approaches based on meta-heuristic search and machine learning techniques to automate testing of software controllers implemented in Simulink. The work presented in this dissertation is motived by Simulink testing needs at Delphi Automotive Systems, a world leading part supplier to the automotive industry. To address the above-mentioned challenges, we rely on discrete-continuous output signals of Simulink models and provide output- based black-box test generation techniques to produce test cases with high fault-revealing ability. Our algorithms are black-box, hence, compatible with Simulink/Stateflow models in their en- tirety. Further, we do not rely on the presence of formal specifications to automate test oracles. Specifically, we propose two sets of test generation algorithms for closed-loop and open-loop con- trollers implemented in Simulink: (1) For closed-loop controllers, test oracles can be formalized and automated relying on the feedback received from the controlled system. We characterize the desired behavior of closed-loop controllers in a set of common requirements, and then use search to identify the worst-case test scenarios of the controller with respect to each requirement. (2) For open-loop controllers, we cannot automate test oracles since the feedback is not available, and test oracles are manual. Hence, we focus on providing test generation algorithms that develop small effective test suites with high fault revealing ability. We further provide a test case prioriti- zation algorithm to rank the generated test cases based on their fault revealing ability and lower the manual oracle cost. Our test generation and prioritization algorithms are evaluated with several industrial and publicly available Simulink models. Specifically, we showed that fault revealing ability of our our approach outperforms that of Simulink Design Verifier (SLDV), the only test generation toolbox of Simulink and a well-known commercial Simulink testing tool. In addition, using our approach, we were able to detect several real faults in Simulink models from our industry partner, Delphi, which had not been previously found by manual testing based on domain expertise and existing Simulink testing tools. Contributions. The main research contributions in this dissertation are: 1. An automated approach for testing closed-loop controllers that characterize the desired be- havior of such controllers in a set of common requirements, and combines random explo- ration and search to effectively identify the worst-case test scenarios of the controller with respect to each requirement. 2. An automated approach for testing highly configurable closed-loop controllers by account- ing for all their feasible configurations and providing strategies to scale the search to large multi-dimensional spaces relying on dimensionality reduction and surrogate modelling 3. A black-box output-based test generation algorithm for open-loop Simulink models which uses search to maximize the likelihood of presence of specific failure patterns (i.e., anti- patterns) in Simulink output signals. 4. A black-box output-based test generation algorithm for open-loop Simulink models that maximizes output diversity to develop small test suites with diverse output signal shapes and, hence, high fault revealing ability. 5. A test case prioritization algorithm which relies on output diversity of the generated test suites, in addition to the dynamic structural coverage achieved by individual tests, to rank test cases and help engineers identify faults faster by inspecting a few test cases. 6. Two test generation tools, namely CoCoTest and SimCoTest, that respectively implement our test generation approaches for closed-loop and open-loop controllers