Optimal Net-Load Balancing in Smart Grids with High PV Penetration

Mitigating Supply-Demand mismatch is critical for smooth power grid operation. Traditionally, load curtailment techniques such as Demand Response (DR) have been used for this purpose. However, these cannot be the only component of a net-load balancing framework for Smart Grids with high PV penetration. These grids can sometimes exhibit supply surplus causing over-voltages. Supply curtailment techniques such as Volt-Var Optimizations are complex and computationally expensive. This increases the complexity of net-load balancing systems used by the grid operator and limits their scalability. Recently new technologies have been developed that enable the rapid and selective connection of PV modules of an installation to the grid. Taking advantage of these advancements, we develop a unified optimal net-load balancing framework which performs both load and solar curtailment. We show that when the available curtailment values are discrete, this problem is NP-hard and develop bounded approximation algorithms for minimizing the curtailment cost. Our algorithms produce fast solutions, given the tight timing constraints required for grid operation. We also incorporate the notion of fairness to ensure that curtailment is evenly distributed among all the nodes. Finally, we develop an online algorithm which performs net-load balancing using only data available for the current interval. Using both theoretical analysis and practical evaluations, we show that our net-load balancing algorithms provide solutions which are close to optimal in a small amount of time.Comment: 11 pages. To be published in the 4th ACM International Conference on Systems for Energy-Efficient Built Environments (BuildSys 17) Changes from previous version: Fixed a bug in Algorithm 1 which was causing some min cost solutions to be misse

Higher-order Program Verification as Satisfiability Modulo Theories with Algebraic Data-types

We report on work in progress on automatic procedures for proving properties of programs written in higher-order functional languages. Our approach encodes higher-order programs directly as first-order SMT problems over Horn clauses. It is straight-forward to reduce Hoare-style verification of first-order programs into satisfiability of Horn clauses. The presence of closures offers several challenges: relatively complete proof systems have to account for closures; and in practice, the effectiveness of search procedures depend on encoding strategies and capabilities of underlying solvers. We here use algebraic data-types to encode closures and rely on solvers that support algebraic data-types. The viability of the approach is examined using examples from the literature on higher-order program verification

Social values of biodiversity conservation for the endangered loggerhead turtle and monk seal

The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) and the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) are two species on the priority list for conservation in Greece due to their dwindling populations worldwide. Hence the issue of estimating willingness to pay for their conservation is germane to any protection initiative. Zakynthos Island in Greece has created a marine park for the conservation of such species. We report the results of a survey of visitors and residents of this island who were asked about making one-time donations in the form of either a tax for residents or a plane landing fee for tourists. We find that all people were willing to pay to protect these species; however, residents were willing to pay more than tourists. We then tested whether there was a sequence or ordering effect if the seal questions came before the turtles as well as if the turtle questions came before the seals. Such effect was found when turtle questions were presented first, but not when seal questions were presented first. Due to the extensive interest, it is recommended that an increase in the airplane landing fee to Zakynthos could be used to contribute towards funds for loggerhead turtle and monk seal protection

Preserved Consciousness in the Absence of a Cerebral Cortex, the Legal and Ethical Implications of Redefining Consciousness and Its Neural Correlates: A Case for a Subcortical System Generating Affective Consciousness

Historically, the scientific and medical communities have taken a corticocentric view on consciousness, emphasizing the need for a cortex in producing the conscious experience. The preserved consciousness observed in hydranencephalic children and decorticated rats suggests that some form of consciousness may be produced by a subcortical network. The brainstem, a phylogenetically ancient and conserved brain structure, could serve as the major integrative machinery to produce this form of consciousness, which is called affective consciousness—the evolutionary antecedent to the reflective consciousness that allows humans to reflect on their experiences. The functional convergence of the brainstem with the amygdala, motor system, and other subcortical structures provides the necessary architecture to support an affective state of consciousness by which instinctual-emotional goal-directed behavior is produced. This subcortical system operates by what Merker (2007) calls the selection triangle—an interface between bodily actions (action selection), the world (target selection), and personal motivation—to produce action through integration. By this model, it is possible that consciousness may persist in the absence of a cortex, such as in the persistent vegetative state. Because of this, it is necessary to establish that multiple forms of consciousness exist and to distinguish between affective and reflective consciousness, because such a distinction would have tremendous ethical implications in the conventional medical treatment of those with disorders of consciousness

Genetic epidemiology of BRCA1- and BRCA2-associated cancer across Latin America

The prevalence and contribution of BRCA1/2 (BRCA) pathogenic variants (PVs) to the cancer burden in Latin America are not well understood. This study aims to address this disparity. BRCA analyses were performed on prospectively enrolled Latin American Clinical Cancer Genomics Community Research Network participants via a combination of methods: a Hispanic Mutation Panel (HISPANEL) on MassARRAY; semiconductor sequencing; and copy number variant (CNV) detection. BRCA PV probability was calculated using BRCAPRO. Among 1,627 participants (95.2% with cancer), we detected 236 (14.5%) BRCA PVs; 160 BRCA1 (31% CNVs); 76 BRCA2 PV frequency varied by country: 26% Brazil, 9% Colombia, 13% Peru, and 17% Mexico. Recurrent PVs (seen ≥3 times), some region-specific, represented 42.8% (101/236) of PVs. There was no ClinVar entry for 14% (17/125) of unique PVs, and 57% (111/196) of unique VUS. The area under the ROC curve for BRCAPRO was 0.76. In summary, we implemented a low-cost BRCA testing strategy and documented a significant burden of non-ClinVar reported BRCA PVs among Latin Americans. There are recurrent, population-specific PVs and CNVs, and we note that the BRCAPRO mutation probability model performs adequately. This study helps address the gap in our understanding of BRCA-associated cancer in Latin America

Right to Life Means No Right to Death with Dignity

No abstrac

Impact of volatiles on flavor of fresh and stored soybean oils

The compound, 3-methylnonane-2,4-dione (MND), has an intense odor when evaluated at the outlet of a gas chromatograph. Sensory evaluation of MND in a mineral oil/water emulsion system showed that its flavor intensity increased almost imperceptibly with increased concentration (from 0.09 to 2.56 ppm), and just above threshold. Also, the concentrations of MND in soybean oils at various peroxide values were between 0 to 0.804 ppb, which were far less than concentrations tested in a mineral oil/water emulsion during sensory evaluation. These results do not support the theory that MND contributes strongly to the reversion flavor of soybean oil. On the other hand, freshly deodorized soybean oil has a characteristic nutty flavor. The possible volatile flavor compounds existing in fresh soybean oil were investigated, but none of these compounds was present in enough quantity or had a flavor impact that would account for the fresh flavor of deodorized soybean oil. Small particles could be generated in the human mouth that might provide a mechanism to bring oil with nonvolatile flavor components into contact with the olfactory organ. Attempts to separate possible nonvolatile flavors in deodorized oil from triacylglycerides by chromatography on alumina or reaction with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine were unsuccessful. Possibly the nutty flavor of freshly deodorized soybean oil is caused by the glycerol esters themselves

Comparison of three different immunoassays in the diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Background: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is caused by platelet activating antibodies that recognize platelet factor 4/heparin (PF4/H) complexes. Laboratory testing plays a key role in the diagnosis of HIT. As functional assays are unfeasible for most clinical laboratories, antigen binding assays are commonly used in routine testing. However, their low specificity leads to overdiagnosis of HIT. Therefore, it is advisable to improve screening tests in this setting. Methods: Blood samples from 114 patients in whom HIT was suspected were investigated using a chemiluminescence test (HemosIL (R) AcuStar HIT-IgG), a PF4/H IgG enzyme immunoassay (Lifecodes PF4 IgG), an IgG-specific lateral flow immunoassay heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (LFI-HIT, STic Expert (R) HIT) and the heparin-induced platelet aggregation (HIPA) test. Results: Twenty-nine (25.4%) out of 114 subjects with suspected HIT had a positive HIPA test. None of patients with a 4Ts score <4 were positive at HIPA. HemosIL (R) AcuStar HIT-IgG showed the best performance in term of sensitivity and specificity when used as single test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed optimization of sensitivity and specificity using a cut-off of 1.13 U/mL (0.95 and 0.98, respectively). As an alternative approach, a strategy based on screening samples by STic Expert (R) HIT and then retesting positive results by Lifecodes PF4 IgG (cut-off 1 OD) or HemosIL (R) AcuStar HIT-IgG (cut-off 1.3 U/mL) showed a performance compared to a single test approach by HemosIL (R) AcuStar HIT-IgG. Conclusions: The HemosIL (R) AcuStar HIT or a combinatorial approach with the STic Expert (R) HIT and the PF4/H IgG enzyme immunoassay provide an accurate diagnosis of immune HIT

Linalyl acetate and other compounds with related structures as antioxidants in heated soybean oil

Linalyl acetate and undecylenic acid were studied to determine their abilities to reduce oxidative changes in soybean oil held at frying temperature. All compounds to be tested were added to soybean oil and heated to 180 C for 56-70 h. Fatty acid changes and conjugated diene formation were monitored. Acetylation of linalool to linalyl acetate (LA) caused the formation of many byproducts, which were separated by thin-layer chromatography into three bands. The materials isolated from the bands were tested and found to be equally effective antioxidants. Purchased LA had an antioxidant effect similar to that of the bands. The LA materials from the bands were further purified and identified by GC-MS. All the effective compounds were similar in structure to LA. Undecylenic acid provided some protective effect but less than that of LA, which had less antioxidant effect than i17-avenasterol and poly- (dimethylsiloxane)