1,033 research outputs found
Optimal Rotational Load Shedding via Bilinear Integer Programming
This paper addresses the problem of managing rotational load shedding
schedules for a power distribution network with multiple load zones. An integer
optimization problem is formulated to find the optimal number and duration of
planned power outages. Various types of damage costs are proposed to capture
the heterogeneous load shedding preferences of different zones. The McCormick
relaxation along with an effective procedure feasibility recovery is developed
to solve the resulting bilinear integer program, which yields a high-quality
suboptimal solution. Extensive simulation results corroborate the merit of the
proposed approach, which has a substantial edge over existing load shedding
schemes.Comment: 6 pages, 11 figures. To appear at the conference of APSIPA ASC 201
Literacy Portfolios in Third Grade: A School-College Collaboration
In this article we will present our teacher professor collaborative investigation of the implementation of Literacy Portfolios (Hansen, 1992). We will discuss teacher professor collaborative research, Literacy Portfolios research, how our collaboration began, how we implemented Literacy Portfolios, our findings, implications for changes for the following year, and our reflections on our collaboration
Day-ahead allocation of operation reserve in composite power systems with large-scale centralized wind farms
This paper focuses on the day-ahead allocation of operation reserve considering wind power prediction error and network transmission constraints in a composite power system. A two-level model that solves the allocation problem is presented. The upper model allocates operation reserve among subsystems from the economic point of view. In the upper model, transmission constraints of tielines are formulated to represent limited reserve support from the neighboring system due to wind power fluctuation. The lower model evaluates the system on the reserve schedule from the reliability point of view. In the lower model, the reliability evaluation of composite power system is performed by using Monte Carlo simulation in a multi-area system. Wind power prediction errors and tieline constraints are incorporated. The reserve requirements in the upper model are iteratively adjusted by the resulting reliability indices from the lower model. Thus, the reserve allocation is gradually optimized until the system achieves the balance between reliability and economy. A modified two-area reliability test system (RTS) is analyzed to demonstrate the validity of the method.This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51277141) and National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2011AA05A103)
Dynamic Effects Increasing Network Vulnerability to Cascading Failures
We study cascading failures in networks using a dynamical flow model based on
simple conservation and distribution laws to investigate the impact of
transient dynamics caused by the rebalancing of loads after an initial network
failure (triggering event). It is found that considering the flow dynamics may
imply reduced network robustness compared to previous static overload failure
models. This is due to the transient oscillations or overshooting in the loads,
when the flow dynamics adjusts to the new (remaining) network structure. We
obtain {\em upper} and {\em lower} limits to network robustness, and it is
shown that {\it two} time scales and , defined by the network
dynamics, are important to consider prior to accurately addressing network
robustness or vulnerability. The robustness of networks showing cascading
failures is generally determined by a complex interplay between the network
topology and flow dynamics, where the ratio determines the
relative role of the two of them.Comment: 4 pages Latex, 4 figure
Method for analysing the adequacy of electric power systems with wind power plants and energy storages
Currently, renewable energy sources and energy storage devices are actively introduced into electric power systems. We developed method to analyze the adequacy of these electric power systems. The method takes into account the uncertainty of electricity generation by wind power plants and the processes of energy storage. The method is based on the Monte Carlo method and allowed to use of long-term meteorological data in open access. The performed experimental research of electrical power system is constructed on the basis of the real technical and meteorological data. The method allows to estimate of effectiveness of introducing generators based on renewable energy sources and energy storages in electric power systems
Second harmonic generating (SHG) nanoprobes for in vivo imaging
Fluorescence microscopy has profoundly changed cell and molecular biology studies by permitting tagged gene products to be followed as they function and interact. The ability of a fluorescent dye to absorb and emit light of different wavelengths allows it to generate startling contrast that, in the best cases, can permit single molecule detection and tracking. However, in many experimental settings, fluorescent probes fall short of their potential due to dye bleaching, dye signal saturation, and tissue autofluorescence. Here, we demonstrate that second harmonic generating (SHG) nanoprobes can be used for in vivo imaging, circumventing many of the limitations of classical fluorescence probes. Under intense illumination, such as at the focus of a laser-scanning microscope, these SHG nanocrystals convert two photons into one photon of half the wavelength; thus, when imaged by conventional two-photon microscopy, SHG nanoprobes appear to generate a signal with an inverse Stokes shift like a fluorescent dye, but with a narrower emission. Unlike commonly used fluorescent probes, SHG nanoprobes neither bleach nor blink, and the signal they generate does not saturate with increasing illumination intensity. The resulting contrast and detectability of SHG nanoprobes provide unique advantages for molecular imaging of living cells and tissues
Listeriaphages and coagulin C23 act synergistically to kill Listeria monocytogenes in milk under refrigeration conditions
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Bacteriophages and bacteriocins are promising biocontrol tools in food. In this work, two Listeria bacteriophages, FWLLm1 and FWLLm3, were assessed in combination with the bacteriocin coagulin C23 to inhibit Listeria monocytogenes. Preliminary results under laboratory conditions demonstrated that both antimicrobials act synergistically when they were applied in suboptimal concentrations. The combined approach was further assessed in milk contaminated with 5×104CFU/ml L. monocytogenes 2000/47 and stored at 4°C for 10days. When used alone, phage FWLLm1 added at 5×106PFU/ml, FWLLm3 at 5×105PFU/ml and coagulin C23 at 584AU/ml kept L. monocytogenes 2000/47 counts lower than the untreated control throughout storage. However, when used in combination, inhibition was enhanced and in the presence of FWLLm1 and coagulin C23, L. monocytogenes 2000/47 counts were under the detection limits (less than 10CFU/ml) from day 4 until the end of the experiment. Resistant mutants towards phages and coagulin C23 could be obtained, but cross-resistance was not detected. Mutants resistant to FWLLm3 and coagulin C23 were also recovered from surviving colonies after cold storage in milk which may explain the failure of this combination to inhibit L. monocytogenes. Remarkably, the fraction of resistant mutants isolated from the combined treatment was lower than that from each antimicrobial alone, suggesting that synergy between bacteriocins and phages could be due to a lower rate of resistance development and the absence of cross-resistance.This research study was supported by the mobility grant PRI-AIBNZ-2011-1043 (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain) to BM and SPN12-01 (Royal Society of New Zealand) to CB. BM, PG and AR also acknowledge funding by grants BIO2010-17414 and AGL2012-40194-C02-01 (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain), and Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2013–2017 (Principado de Asturias, Spain) and FEDER EU funds GRUPIN14-139. PG, BM and AR are members of the FWO Vlaanderen funded “Phagebiotics” research community (WO.016.14).Peer Reviewe
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