Study of a Water-Energy Integrated System: Challenges of Prototyping

In a society where Energy and Water walk side by side in practically all sectors of activity, it becomes necessary to analyze them from a productive, economic and sustainable point of view. Although independently developed and regulated, it is known that water needs energy and energy needs water. The increasing demand for energy and its exponential trend will have repercussions at all levels in the short term. and consequently, will increase the strain on freshwater resources. All these concerns and associated decision-making policies create an opportunity to improve the management of both sectors. There is an urgent need to improve the water-energy system and reduce energy consumption, using advanced technological changes and an optimized management strategy, leading to a more sustainable future. By improving the efficiency of water and energy use through integrated smart strategies, there are very positive repercussions on savings and impact on the local economy, especially in decentralized cases. The present paper aims to address the theme of the nexus of water-energy in the scope of promoting alternatives of management and development of integrated systems and study the dynamics of the development of the theoretical concept vs. prototyping in case of urban context and real environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development of the Concept vs Prototyping: Implementation of a real scale Water-Energy Integrated System

Currently, the concept of smart cities and renewable energy are more consolidated and developed. With each passing day, new technological advances are emerging within both themes. At the same time, the water sector has becoming increasingly demanding in terms of quality and compliance with all existing legislation. That said, it is understandable that both sectors and their management entities come together in search of more sustainable operations that go against the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, decentralization of energy production and the improvement of efficiency, quality and use of resources. It is important to understand the synergies between water and energy to contradict what has been said so far about the increasing demand for energy, its exponential trend and the negative repercussions on freshwater resources. As such, this article aims to address the interconnection between both sectors to promote alternative scientific and technological improvements to the management and development of Integrated Water-Energy systems, while studying the dynamics between the theoretical development of the problem and the challenges of prototyping of such complex systems in real and urban context.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Activated sludge process monitoring through in-situ NIR spectral analysis

The application of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for industrial process monitoring is achieving increasing importance over the last twenty years. In fact, the real time monitoring capacity of NIR spectroscopy is a very important feature for process monitoring, prediction and control as it allows a fast evaluation of the state of the process. However, the application of NIR spectroscopy in wastewater treatment processes is still to be explored. Although some applications of the technique for wastewater monitoring have been reported in the literature, there is still a need for more investigation related with applications, limitations and advantages of the technique when compared with other methods. An activated sludge reactor for aerobic treatment of a complex medium was monitored in situ with a NIR transflectance probe and traditional chemical parameters analysed off-line. NIR spectrophotometric data measured at the feed, reactor and settler were coupled to principal component analysis (PCA) to infer about the ability of this monitoring system to detect changes in the feed influent. The analysis of the score plots resulting from PCA permitted to identify the moments at which the perturbations occurred and to follow the consequent instability induced in the reactor till the day where the system is recuperated. The promising results obtained, suggest the interest in more detailed studies on the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy as an alternative method for monitoring and control of wastewater treatment processes.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - POCTI/AMB/60141/2001

Activated sludge process monitoring through in situ near-infrared spectral analysis

The application of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for industrial process monitoring is achieving increasing importance over the last twenty years. In fact, the real time monitoring capacity of NIR spectroscopy is a very important feature for process monitoring, prediction and control as it allows a fast evaluation of the state of the process. However, the application of NIR spectroscopy in wastewater treatment processes is still to be explored. Although some applications of the technique for wastewater monitoring have been reported in the literature, there is still a need for more investigation related with applications, limitations and advantages of the technique when compared with other methods. An activated sludge reactor for aerobic treatment of a complex medium was monitored in situ with a NIR transflectance probe and traditional chemical parameters analysed off-line. NIR spectrophotometric data measured at the feed, reactor and settler were coupled to principal component analysis (PCA) to infer about the ability of this monitoring system to detect changes in the feed influent. The analysis of the score plots resulting from PCA permitted to identify the moments at which the perturbations occurred and to follow the consequent instability induced in the reactor till the day where the system is recuperated. The promising results obtained, suggest the interest in more detailed studies on the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy as an alternative method for monitoring and control of wastewater treatment processes.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal) - POCTI/AMB/60141/2001

Multi-modal and multi-model interrogation of large-scale functional brain networks

Existing whole-brain models are generally tailored to the modelling of a particular data modality (e.g., fMRI or MEG/EEG). We propose that despite the differing aspects of neural activity each modality captures, they originate from shared network dynamics. Building on the universal principles of self-organising delay-coupled nonlinear systems, we aim to link distinct features of brain activity - captured across modalities - to the dynamics unfolding on a macroscopic structural connectome. To jointly predict connectivity, spatiotemporal and transient features of distinct signal modalities, we consider two large-scale models - the Stuart Landau and Wilson and Cowan models - which generate short-lived 40 Hz oscillations with varying levels of realism. To this end, we measure features of functional connectivity and metastable oscillatory modes (MOMs) in fMRI and MEG signals - and compare them against simulated data. We show that both models can represent MEG functional connectivity (FC), functional connectivity dynamics (FCD) and generate MOMs to a comparable degree. This is achieved by adjusting the global coupling and mean conduction time delay and, in the WC model, through the inclusion of balance between excitation and inhibition. For both models, the omission of delays dramatically decreased the performance. For fMRI, the SL model performed worse for FCD and MOMs, highlighting the importance of balanced dynamics for the emergence of spatiotemporal and transient patterns of ultra-slow dynamics. Notably, optimal working points varied across modalities and no model was able to achieve a correlation with empirical FC higher than 0.4 across modalities for the same set of parameters. Nonetheless, both displayed the emergence of FC patterns that extended beyond the constraints of the anatomical structure. Finally, we show that both models can generate MOMs with empirical-like properties such as size (number of brain regions engaging in a mode) and duration (continuous time interval during which a mode appears). Our results demonstrate the emergence of static and dynamic properties of neural activity at different timescales from networks of delay-coupled oscillators at 40 Hz. Given the higher dependence of simulated FC on the underlying structural connectivity, we suggest that mesoscale heterogeneities in neural circuitry may be critical for the emergence of parallel cross-modal functional networks and should be accounted for in future modelling endeavours

Case Study in Urban Context O Nexus Água-Energia: Revisão de Literatura em Gestão de Sistemas Integrados, Desafios e Oportunidades. Caso de Estudo em Contexto Urbano

In a society where Energy and Water walk side by side in practically all sectors of activity, it becomes necessary to analyze them from a productive, economic and sustainable point of view. From the extraction of mines and wells, to its treatment and transportation, and to the cooling systems of energy production, and despite being independently developed, managed and regulated, it is known that water needs energy and energy needs water. All these concerns, decision-making and the relationship between water and energy by itself create an opportunity to improve management in both sectors. There is an urgent need to consider all the assumptions and alternatives to improve the system and reduce energy consumption, which includes technological modifications and optimized resources management, leading to a more sustainable future. The increasing demand for energy and its exponential trend will have repercussions at all levels and will consequently increase the strain on freshwater resources with the most affected agricultural and industrial sectors. By improving the efficiency of water and energy use, there are positive repercussions that allow for substantial savings, especially where there is a lack of such resources. This article aims to address all these crucial issues related to energy and water in order to increase knowledge on the subject and to help promote alternatives for managing and developing integrated management systems and, consequently, for a rational use of both resources and a more sustainable future.Numa sociedade onde a Energia e a Água caminham lado a lado em praticamente todos os setores de atividade, torna-se necessário analisá-los sob um ponto de vista produtivo, económico e sustentável. Desde a extração de minas e poços, até ao respetivo tratamento e transporte e ainda aos sistemas de arrefecimento da produção de energia, e apesar de independentemente desenvolvidos, geridos e regulados, é sabido que a água precisa de energia e a energia de água. Todas estas preocupações, tomadas de decisão e a própria relação entre a água e a energia, criam uma oportunidade para melhorar a gestão de ambos os setores. Existe uma necessidade urgente de considerar todas as hipóteses e alternativas para melhorar o sistema e reduzir o consumo energético, que incluem algumas modificações tecnológicas e uma gestão otimizada dos recursos, levando a um futuro mais sustentável. A crescente procura de energia e a sua tendência exponencial trará repercussões a todos os níveis e consequentemente aumentará a tensão sobre os recursos de água doce, com os setores agrícola e industrial mais afetados. Ao melhorar a eficiência do uso da água e energia, surgem repercussões muito positivas que permitem uma poupança substancial, especialmente onde existe falta de tais recursos. O presente artigo pretende abordar todas estas questões cruciais relacionadas com a energia e água, a fim de aumentar o conhecimento sobre a matéria e ajudar a promover alternativas para gerir e desenvolver sistemas de gestão integrados e, consequentemente, encaminhar para um uso racional de ambos os recursos e um futuro mais sustentável.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Measuring Adherence to Inhaled Control Medication in Patients with Asthma: Comparison Among an Asthma App, Patient Self‐Report and Physician Assessment

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using an asthma app to support medication management and adherence but failed to compare with other measures currently used in clinical practice. However, in a clinical setting, any additional adherence measurement must be evaluated in the context of both the patient and physician perspectives so that it can also help improve the process of shared decision making. Thus, we aimed to compare different measures of adherence to asthma control inhalers in clinical practice, namely through an app, patient self-report and physician assessment. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of three prospective multicentre observational studies with patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma recruited from 61 primary and secondary care centres in Portugal. Patients were invited to use the InspirerMundi app and register their inhaled medication. Adherence was measured by the app as the number of doses taken divided by the number of doses scheduled each day and two time points were considered for analysis: 1-week and 1-month. At baseline, patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to asthma control inhalers during the previous week using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0-100). Results: A total of 193 patients (72% female; median [P25-P75] age 28 [19-41] years old) were included in the analysis. Adherence measured by the app was lower (1 week: 31 [0-71]%; 1 month: 18 [0-48]%) than patient self-report (80 [60-95]) and physician assessment (82 [51-94]) (p 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between patient self-report and physician assessment (ρ = 0.596, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Adherence measured by the app was lower than that reported by the patient or the physician. This was expected as objective measurements are commonly lower than subjective evaluations, which tend to overestimate adherence. Nevertheless, the low adherence measured by the app may also be influenced by the use of the app itself and this needs to be considered in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Valorisation of Biowastes for the Production of Green Materials Using Chemical Methods

With crude oil reserves dwindling, the hunt for a sustainable alternative feedstock for fuels and materials for our society continues to expand. The biorefinery concept has enjoyed both a surge in popularity and also vocal opposition to the idea of diverting food-grade land and crops for this purpose. The idea of using the inevitable wastes arising from biomass processing, particularly farming and food production, is, therefore, gaining more attention as the feedstock for the biorefinery. For the three main components of biomass—carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins—there are long-established processes for using some of these by-products. However, the recent advances in chemical technologies are expanding both the feedstocks available for processing and the products that be obtained. Herein, this review presents some of the more recent developments in processing these molecules for green materials, as well as case studies that bring these technologies and materials together into final products for applied usage

Geometrical parameters influencing the aerodynamic efficiency of a small-scale self-pitch high solidity VAWT

In the paper, four key design parameters with a strong influence on the performance of a small-scale high solidity variable pitch VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine), operating at low tip-speed-ratio (TSR) are addressed. To this aim a numerical approach, based on a finite-volume discretization of two-dimensional Unsteady RANS equations on a multiple sliding mesh, is proposed and validated against experimental data. The self-pitch VAWT design is based on a straight blade Darrieus wind turbine with blades that are allowed to pitch around a feathering axis, which is also parallel to the axis of rotation. The pitch angle amplitude and periodic variation are dynamically controlled by a four-bar-linkage system. We only consider the efficiency at low and intermediate TSR, therefore the pitch amplitude is chosen to be a sinusoidal function with a considerable amplitude. The results of this parametric analysis will contribute to define the guidelines for building a full size prototype of a small scale turbine of increased efficiency