Analysis and Optimization of a Piezoelectric Harvester on a Car Damper

AbstractLow power levels obtained from piezoelectric conversion of ambient vibrations appear to be a promising solution to supply wireless sensors embedded inside automotive suspension. However such a solution requires overall an optimum power extraction from the piezoelectric power harvester. This leads to the use of a sufficiently accurate and flexible modelling method to find the optimal characterics and configuration of the harvester. To this end, an innovative bond graph model of the piezoelectric harvester embedded in the quarter vehicle system is proposed for providing the harvested power when a car travels a road with a speed bump at 30km/h. Results show that around of 0.5 milliwatt electrical power is harvested when varying key parameters like the location and characteristics of the piezoelectric device

The global spread of misinformation on spiders

In the internet era, the digital architecture that keeps us connected and informed may also amplify the spread of misinformation. This problem is gaining global attention, as evidence accumulates that misinformation may interfere with democratic processes and undermine collective responses to environmental and health crises1,2. In an increasingly polluted information ecosystem, understanding the factors underlying the generation and spread of misinformation is becoming a pressing scientific and societal challenge3. Here, we studied the global spread of (mis-)information on spiders using a high-resolution global database of online newspaper articles on spider–human interactions, covering stories of spider–human encounters and biting events published from 2010–20204. We found that 47% of articles contained errors and 43% were sensationalist. Moreover, we show that the flow of spider-related news occurs within a highly interconnected global network and provide evidence that sensationalism is a key factor underlying the spread of misinformation

An expert-curated global database of online newspaper articles on spiders and spider bites

Mass media plays an important role in the construction and circulation of risk perception associated with animals. Widely feared groups such as spiders frequently end up in the spotlight of traditional and social media. We compiled an expert-curated global database on the online newspaper coverage of human-spider encounters over the past ten years (2010-2020). This database includes information about the location of each human-spider encounter reported in the news article and a quantitative characterisation of the content-location, presence of photographs of spiders and bites, number and type of errors, consultation of experts, and a subjective assessment of sensationalism. In total, we collected 5348 unique news articles from 81 countries in 40 languages. The database refers to 211 identified and unidentified spider species and 2644 unique human-spider encounters (1121 bites and 147 as deadly bites). To facilitate data reuse, we explain the main caveats that need to be made when analysing this database and discuss research ideas and questions that can be explored with it.Peer reviewe

An expert-curated global database of online newspaper articles on spiders and spider bites

Mass media plays an important role in the construction and circulation of risk perception associated with animals. Widely feared groups such as spiders frequently end up in the spotlight of traditional and social media. We compiled an expert-curated global database on the online newspaper coverage of human-spider encounters over the past ten years (2010–2020). This database includes information about the location of each human-spider encounter reported in the news article and a quantitative characterisation of the content—location, presence of photographs of spiders and bites, number and type of errors, consultation of experts, and a subjective assessment of sensationalism. In total, we collected 5348 unique news articles from 81 countries in 40 languages. The database refers to 211 identified and unidentified spider species and 2644 unique human-spider encounters (1121 bites and 147 as deadly bites). To facilitate data reuse, we explain the main caveats that need to be made when analysing this database and discuss research ideas and questions that can be explored with it. </p

The global spread of misinformation on spiders

In the internet era, the digital architecture that keeps us connected and informed may also amplify the spread of misinformation. This problem is gaining global attention, as evidence accumulates that misinformation may interfere with democratic processes and undermine collective responses to environmental and health crises. In an increasingly polluted information ecosystem, understanding the factors underlying the generation and spread of misinformation is becoming a pressing scientific and societal challenge. Here, we studied the global spread of (mis-)information on spiders using a high-resolution global database of online newspaper articles on spider–human interactions, covering stories of spider–human encounters and biting events published from 2010–2020. We found that 47% of articles contained errors and 43% were sensationalist. Moreover, we show that the flow of spider-related news occurs within a highly interconnected global network and provide evidence that sensationalism is a key factor underlying the spread of misinformation. </p

Les émissions d'ammoniac d'origine agricole dans l'atmosphère: État des connaissances et perspectives de réduction des émissions

National audienc

Les émissions d'ammoniac d'origine agricole dans l'atmosphère: État des connaissances et perspectives de réduction des émissions

National audienc

Multi-agent systems for the dependability and safety of microgrids

International audienceThe electrical networks are very complex systems, presently in full evolution. With the increasing penetration and apportionment over large areas of the renewable energies, the centralized nature of the power production evolves toward a more distributed form. In this context, the interest of the microgrids, as subcomponents of the main grid, rises especially by the specific services that they can provide. To ensure the stability and the dependability of a microgrid is a difficult task particularly in islanded mode. The microgrid is a mix of different types of elements and its structure may evolve. The multi-agents systems technique, with its distributed and adaptive character, can be an interesting tool for the control of each microgrid component and for the real time decision making related to the microgrid management. The paper starts with a presentation of microgrids and their specific issues, and follows with some basic concepts on multi-agents systems. Then, a review of the proposed techniques and algorithms that implies multi-agents systems in microgrids management is presented, focusing on the safety and the dependability in microgrids