Intelligent PV Power Smoothing Control Using Probabilistic Fuzzy Neural Network with Asymmetric Membership Function

An intelligent PV power smoothing control using probabilistic fuzzy neural network with asymmetric membership function (PFNN-AMF) is proposed in this study. First, a photovoltaic (PV) power plant with a battery energy storage system (BESS) is introduced. The BESS consisted of a bidirectional DC/AC 3-phase inverter and LiFePO4 batteries. Then, the difference of the actual PV power and smoothed power is supplied by the BESS. Moreover, the network structure of the PFNN-AMF and its online learning algorithms are described in detail. Furthermore, the three-phase output currents of the PV power plant are converted to the dq-axis current components. The resulted q-axis current is the input of the PFNN-AMF power smoothing control, and the output is a smoothing PV power curve to achieve the effect of PV power smoothing. Comparing to the other smoothing methods, a minimum energy capacity of the BESS with a small fluctuation of the grid power can be achieved by the PV power smoothing control using PFNN-AMF. In addition, a personal computer- (PC-) based PV power plant emulator and BESS are built for the experimentation. From the experimental results of various irradiance variation conditions, the effectiveness of the proposed intelligent PV power smoothing control can be verified

Mobile robotics platform for strawberry temporal–spatial yield monitoring within precision indoor farming systems

Plant phenotyping and production management are emerging fields to facilitate Genetics, Environment, & Management (GEM) research and provide production guidance. Precision indoor farming systems (PIFS), vertical farms with artificial light (aka plant factories) in particular, have long been suitable production scenes due to the advantages of efficient land utilization and year-round cultivation. In this study, a mobile robotics platform (MRP) within a commercial plant factory has been developed to dynamically understand plant growth and provide data support for growth model construction and production management by periodical monitoring of individual strawberry plants and fruit. Yield monitoring, where yield = the total number of ripe strawberry fruit detected, is a critical task to provide information on plant phenotyping. The MRP consists of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and a multilayer perception robot (MPR), i.e., MRP = the MPR installed on top of the AMR. The AMR is capable of traveling along the aisles between plant growing rows. The MPR consists of a data acquisition module that can be raised to the height of any plant growing tier of each row by a lifting module. Adding AprilTag observations (captured by a monocular camera) into the inertial navigation system to form an ATI navigation system has enhanced the MRP navigation within the repetitive and narrow physical structure of a plant factory to capture and correlate the growth and position information of each individual strawberry plant. The MRP performed robustly at various traveling speeds with a positioning accuracy of 13.0 mm. The temporal–spatial yield monitoring within a whole plant factory can be achieved to guide farmers to harvest strawberries on schedule through the MRP’s periodical inspection. The yield monitoring performance was found to have an error rate of 6.26% when the plants were inspected at a constant MRP traveling speed of 0.2 m/s. The MRP’s functions are expected to be transferable and expandable to other crop production monitoring and cultural tasks

Promoter Polymorphism G-6A, which Modulates Angiotensinogen Gene Expression, Is Associated with Non-Familial Sick Sinus Syndrome

Background: It is well known that familial sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is caused by functional alterations of ion channels and gap junction. Limited information is available on the mechanism of age-related non-familial SSS. Although evidence shows a close link between arrhythmia and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), it remains to be determined whether the RAS is involved in the pathogenesis of non-familial SSS. Methods: In this study, 113 patients with documented non-familial SSS and 125 controls were screened for angiotensinogen (AGT) and gap junction protein-connexin 40 (Cx40) promoter polymorphisms by gene sequencing, followed by an association study. A luciferase assay was used to determine the transcriptional activity of the promoter polymorphism. The interaction between nuclear factors and the promoter polymorphism was characterized by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Results: Association study showed the Cx40 -44/+71 polymorphisms are not associated with non-familial SSS; however, it indicated that four polymorphic sites at positions -6, -20, -152, and -217 in the AGT promoter are linked to non-familial SSS. Compared to controls, SSS patients had a lower frequency of the G-6A AA genotype (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.58–5.22, P = 0.001) and a higher frequency of the G allele at -6 position (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.54–4.57, P = 0.0003). EMSA and luciferase assays confirmed that nucleotide G at position -6 modulates the binding affinity with nuclear factors and yields a lower transcriptional activity than nucleotide A (P,0.01). Conclusion: G-6A polymorphism, which modulates the transcriptional activity of the AGT promoter, may contribute to nonfamilial SSS susceptibility

Facework strategies and intercultural conflict management procedures between international undergraduates and Malaysian instructors at a private university

Framed by the face negotiation theory and intercultural conflict management concepts, this study aims to identify the facework strategies used by international undergraduates in intercultural conflicts with Malaysian instructors at a private university, and investigate the preferred effective conflict management procedures for Malaysian instructors in managing intercultural conflicts with international undergraduates. This study uses a descriptive cross-sectional design using questionnaires for data collection.  A total of 317 participants were involved: 105 Indonesian undergraduates, 106 Chinese undergraduates, and 106 Malaysian instructors. The results showed that both Indonesian and Chinese undergraduate groups have similar tendencies for integrating strategies, although they differ in avoiding and dominating strategies. For intercultural conflict management procedures, the most favourable procedure is mediation and the least favourable is ombudsman service. These findings provide instructors with first-hand data for subsequent teacher development on face-saving application. By applying the appropriate facework strategy and ways to enact it, instructors can further develop their teaching skills by creating a healthy student-teacher relationship with international students

Study of Chlorophyll-related Compounds from Dietary Spinach in Human Blood

Human bioavailability data on chlorophyll (Chl) is very limited. The distribution of Chl-related compounds (CRCs) derived from dietary spinach was investigated in human blood. Eight healthy adults, aged from 21 to 61 year-old, consumed 1.2 kg of just-boiled fresh spinach after an 8-h overnight fast. Before and then 3 h after consuming the spinach, blood samples were taken from each participant. Freeze-dried blood samples were prepared, and 80% acetone was added for grinding. Eight peaks were found in the blood using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the main CRCs in the samples were pheophytin (Phe) and pheophorbide (Pho) derivates. Compared to a fasted state, markedly higher levels of blood CRCs were detected in all subjects, except that Pho metabolites were not found in two subjects. No significant differences were seen in most of the peaks between males and females; however, relatively higher CRCs levels were observed in females, particular of Pho derivates. In addition, the blood contained significantly higher levels of Phe in the 36~61-year-old group than in the 21~35-year-old group. These results suggest that the conversion of Chls to CRCs is a rapid process, and Chls obtained by ingestion can be absorbed by the human body

The Effects of Green Energy Production on Farmland: A Case Study in Yunlin County, Taiwan

Taiwan enacted the Act of Renewable Energy in the year 2009 which promotes energy safety, green economy, and a sustainable environment, and with that the government envisages a contribution of photovoltaic energy of up to 20% by the year 2025. In this study we look into the motivation and background of this energy policy, plans for implementation and associated challenges, and its actual consequences for farmland use and farmers. In addition, we take a look into the implementation of mixed-use farmland in which agricultural activity and photovoltaic installations are planned to coexist in order to increase land value and productivity. We furthermore report on some of our findings related to a field survey conducted in Taiwan’s corn chamber of Yunlin County which has been facing a number of socioeconomic challenges