1,831 research outputs found
Abstract basins of attraction
Abstract basins appear naturally in different areas of several complex
variables. In this survey we want to describe three different topics in which
they play an important role, leading to interesting open problems
DER Participation in Ancillary Services Market: An Analysis of Current Trends and Future Opportunities
In an effort to push for low-carbon transition, national governments and regulatory authorities are working to define market structures and legislative frameworks able to effectively support the spreading of electricity production from renewables. To this purpose, the opening of national Ancillary Services Markets (ASMs) to Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) plays a key role. However, pricing schemes and rules in place (e.g., incentives) can act as a barrier to the supply of regulation services by small-sized and renewable-based power plants. In this context, the present work evaluates the economic opportunities for DERs provided by the provision of tertiary reserve and balancing control in the Italian ASM. The research is carried out through the collection and processing of price data from the Italian electricity and gas markets over 4 years (2019–2022). Considering a reference architecture where DER units bid on the market through a Balancing Service Provider, the potential revenues on the ASM of a non-programmable or partially programmable DER unit are compared to the earnings expected of a conventional power plant in order to highlight whether unfair competition can represent a barrier. Then, possible evolutions in the current remuneration schemes are analyzed, to evaluate whether they can be able to support a better DER integration. From the analysis, it emerges that, even if negative prices could be useful to increase the competitiveness of RES-based power plants for downward regulation, the loss of the incentives can act as a deterrent to the offering of services on the market by DERs. Therefore, other regulatory options, such as the incentives retention in case of downward regulation, could also be needed
Experimental determination of the frequency and field dependence of Specific Loss Power in Magnetic Fluid Hyperthermia
Magnetic nanoparticles are promising systems for biomedical applications and
in particular for Magnetic Fluid Hyperthermia, a promising therapy that
utilizes the heat released by such systems to damage tumor cells. We present an
experimental study of the physical properties that influences the capability of
heat release, i.e. the Specific Loss Power, SLP, of three biocompatible
ferrofluid samples having a magnetic core of maghemite with different core
diameter d= 10.2, 14.6 and 19.7 nm. The SLP was measured as a function of
frequency f and intensity of the applied alternating magnetic field H, and it
turned out to depend on the core diameter, as expected. The results allowed us
to highlight experimentally that the physical mechanism responsible for the
heating is size-dependent and to establish, at applied constant frequency, the
phenomenological functional relationship SLP=cH^x, with 2<x<3 for all samples.
The x-value depends on sample size and field frequency/ intensity, here chosen
in the typical range of operating magnetic hyperthermia devices. For the
smallest sample, the effective relaxation time Teff=19.5 ns obtained from SLP
data is in agreement with the value estimated from magnetization data, thus
confirming the validity of the Linear Response Theory model for this system at
properly chosen field intensity and frequency
NMR and SR detection of unconventional spin dynamics in Er(trensal) and Dy(trensal) molecular magnets
Measurements of proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) spectra and
relaxation and of Muon Spin Relaxation (SR) have been performed as a
function of temperature and external magnetic field on two isostructural
lanthanide complexes, Er(trensal) and Dy(trensal) featuring
crystallographically imposed trigonal symmetry. Both the nuclear 1/T1 and muon
longitudinal relaxation rates, LRR, exhibit a peak for temperatures T
lower than 30K, associated to the slowing down of the spin dynamics, and the
width of the NMR absorption spectra starts to increase significantly at T ca.
50K, a temperature sizably higher than the one of the LRR peaks. The LRR peaks
have a field and temperature dependence different from those previously
reported for all Molecular Nanomagnets. They do not follow the
Bloembergen-Purcell-Pound scaling of the amplitude and position in temperature
and field and thus cannot be explained in terms of a single dominating
correlation time c determined by the spin slowing down at low
temperature. Further, for T lower than 50K the spectral width does not follow
the temperature behavior of the magnetic susceptibility chi. We suggest, using
simple qualitative considerations, that the observed behavior is due to a
combination of two different relaxation processes characterized by the
correlation times LT and HT, dominating for T lower than 30K and T
higher than 50K, respectively. Finally, the observed flattening of LRR for T
lower than 5K is suggested to have a quantum origin
Investigating masking effects of age trends on the correlations among tree ring proxies
Age-related trends are present in tree-ring widths (TRW), but their presence in tree rings isotope is debated. It is unclear how cambial age influences the relationships between TRW and isotopes. Tree-ring isotopes of alpine larch and cembran-pine trees showed only trends in the juvenile period (>100 years), which might mask the inter-relations between tree-ring proxies during cambial age. This work tries to unmask the age-trend influences by examining the correlations in TRW-stable isotopes with and without age-trend correction. The non-detrended and linear-detrended values of TRW, of δD and δ18O showed significant correlations for ages up to 100 years, but not afterward. However, the correlation values, after spline or first-difference time-series detrending, were not age-related. Thus, detrending methods affect the correlations in the juvenile phase and may affect climate-related interpretations. The correlations between TRW and δ13C were not age-related, while those among the isotopes were significant throughout the ages. The correlation between δ13C and δD was the exception, as it became significant only after age > 100 years, suggesting a different use of reserves in the juvenile phase. In conclusion, the relationships among the tree-ring parameters are stable in all the different detrend scenarios after the juvenile phase, and they can be used together in multi-proxy paleoclimatic studies. The data of the juvenile phase can be used after spline-detrending or first-difference time-series calculation, depending on the purpose of the analysis to remove age-related trends. The work also provides clues on the possible causes of juvenile age trends
Augmented Reality to Engage Visitors of Science Museums through Interactive Experiences
In the last years, interactive exhibitions based on digital technologies have become widely common, thanks to their flexibility and effectiveness in engaging visitors and creating memorable experiences. One of the topics in which digital technologies can be particularly effective is the communication of abstract concepts that are difficult for the human mind to imagine. An emblematic example is the astronomy discipline, which requires us to imagine and understand phenomena far away from our everyday life. In this paper, the authors present a research project, MARSS, in which digital technologies are used effectively to enhance the Users' Experience of the Museo Astronomico di Brera located in Milan. Specifically, the MARSS project aims at designing and developing a new digital journey inside the museum to allow different categories of visitors to enjoy the exhibition in an engaging and interactive way. The paper presents the design and development phases of the experience and its evaluation with users. The results of the evaluation indicate that the digital interactive experience is appreciated by users and is successful in translating the content of high scientific value into more engaging and easily understandable elements
AEROBIC TRAINING WITH LIMBS INTERMITTENT ISCHEMIA IMPROVES MYOCARDIAL FUNCTION AND WALL STRETCH IN PATIENTS WITH CLAUDICATION
Background: peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a chronic disease determining functional impairment and increased risk of cardiovascular events. Physical training improves cardiac performance and reduces NTproBNP concentration, marker of risk of cardiovascular events, in cardiac patients. Aim: we aimed to examine the effects training conducted till ischemic pain at the leg of PAD patients on myocardial function and peripheral flux.Methods: we enrolled 22 patients affected by peripheral arterial disease without cardiac disease. All patients undergone a physical training of 15 days, with treadmill test at the begin and at the end of training. Results: at the end of training patients increased walking distance (450\ub1180 m vs 250\ub1108 m; p<0.05). We documented at rest, at the end of physical training, an increase in flow volume of common femoral artery of the symptomatic leg (2,55\ub12,13 L/min vs 1,86\ub11,30 L/min; p<0.05); NTproBNP concentration at rest was lower al the end of training (210\ub1130 pg/mL vs 188\ub1108 pg/mL; p<0.005), an increase of NTproBNP concentration after maximal exercise on treadmill before treatment, with a reduced increase at the end of training period (24\ub121 vs 12\ub110 pg/mL; p<0.0005); a reduction of end-diastolic diameter of left ventricle at rest (48\ub14 mm vs 50\ub15 mm; p<0.05). The ejection fraction did not changed, while heart rate reduced after training (66\ub19 bpm vs 71\ub112 bpm; p<0.05). Conclusions: this study documented an improvement of hemodynamic and cardiac performance in response of physical training in peripheral arterial disease patients not affected by cardiac disease. Further trials will be necessary to evaluate the use of NTproBNP as a marker of good response to physical training in these patients
Exosome determinants of physiological aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases
Aging is consistently reported as the most important independent risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. As life expectancy has significantly increased during the last decades, neurodegenerative diseases became one of the most critical public health problem in our society. The most investigated neurodegenerative diseases during aging are Alzheimer disease (AD), Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and Parkinson disease (PD). The search for biomarkers has been focused so far on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. Recently, exosomes emerged as novel biological source with increasing interest for age-related neurodegenerative disease biomarkers. Exosomes are tiny Extracellular vesicles (EVs; 30\u2013100 nm in size) released by all cell types which originate from the endosomal compartment. They constitute important vesicles for the release and transfer of multiple (signaling, toxic, and regulatory) molecules among cells. Initially considered with merely waste disposal function, instead exosomes have been recently recognized as fundamental mediators of intercellular communication. They can move from the site of release by diffusion and be retrieved in several body fluids, where they may dynamically reflect pathological changes of cells present in inaccessible sites such as the brain. Multiple evidence has implicated exosomes in age-associated neurodegenerative processes, which lead to cognitive impairment in later life. Critically, consolidated evidence indicates that pathological protein aggregates, including A\u3b2, tau, and \u3b1-synuclein are released from brain cells in association with exosomes. Importantly, exosomes act as vehicles between cells not only of proteins but also of nucleic acids [DNA, mRNA transcripts, miRNA, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs)] thus potentially influencing gene expression in target cells. In this framework, exosomes could contribute to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underneath neurodegenerative diseases and could represent a promising source of biomarkers. Despite the involvement of exosomes in age-associated neurodegeneration, the study of exosomes and their genetic cargo in physiological aging and in neurodegenerative diseases is still in its infancy. Here, we review, the current knowledge on protein and ncRNAs cargo of exosomes in normal aging and in age-related neurodegenerative diseases
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