399 research outputs found
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Tailored gamification and serious game framework based on fuzzy logic for saving energy in connected thermostats
Connected thermostats (CTs) often save less energy than predicted because consumers may not know how to use them and may not be engaged in saving energy. Additionally, several models perform contrary to consumers’ expectations and are thus not used the way they are intended to. As a result, CTs save less energy and are underused in households. This paper reviews aspects of gamification and serious games focused on engaging consumers. A gamification and serious games framework is proposed for saving energy that is tailored by a fuzzy logic system to motivate connected thermostat consumers. This intelligent gamification framework can be used to customize the gamification and serious game strategy to each consumer so that fuzzy logic systems can be adapted according to the requirements of each consumer. The framework is designed to teach, engage, and motivate consumers while helping them save electrical energy when using their thermostats. It is described the proposed framework as well as a mockup that can be run on a cellphone. Although this framework is designed to be implemented in CTs, it can be translated to their energy devices in smart homes
Does GRS 1915+105 exhibit "canonical" black-hole states?
We have analysed RXTE data of the superluminal source GRS 1915+105 in order
to investigate if, despite its extreme variability, it also exhibits the
canonical source states that characterise other black-hole candidates. The
phenomenology of GRS 1915+105 has been described in terms of three states
(named A, B and C) based on their hardness ratios and position in the
colour-colour diagram. We have investigated the connection between these states
and the canonical behaviour and found that the shape of the power spectral
continuum and the values of the best-fit model parameters to the noise
components in all three states indicate that the source shows properties
similar to the canonical very high state.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Comparing in-vivo confocal microscopy and ex-vivo light and scanning electron microscopy images of the hairs of the pine processionary caterpillar embedded in the cornea: Report of three cases
This report describes three cases of pine processionary caterpillar hairs (setae) embedded in the cornea: one in a 69‑year‑old man with acute keratouveitis, a second case in a 65‑year‑old man with an epithelial defect and a stromal infiltrate, and the third case affecting a 54‑year‑old woman with mild keratitis. The two first patients had one hair embedded in the anterior corneal layers while the last one had several hairs deeply embedded in the stroma. By comparing in‑vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) with ex‑vivo light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, the morphology of the setae was identified and confirmed.post-print2,18 M
Three-level Back-to-Back Converter Simulation for Wind Turbine Energy Source
AbstractThis paper presents the simulation of three-level back-to-back converter for wind turbine energy source. For this paper, it will be focused on wind turbine energy source and determined the voltage from wind turbine energy source being regular value. The operation of the converter can be simulated by using MATLAB/SIMULINK program. Moreover, the voltage and current of the converter can be properly controlled by SVPWM. The simulation results shown that the output current waveform have signal distortion less than the input current waveform, and also the output voltage waveform is more than the input as well. Therefore, this converter can convert the voltage and current from the AC to DC and from the DC to AC for more performance, and it can be connected to the grid
Dense matter with eXTP
In this White Paper we present the potential of the Enhanced X-ray Timing and
Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for determining the nature of dense matter; neutron
star cores host an extreme density regime which cannot be replicated in a
terrestrial laboratory. The tightest statistical constraints on the dense
matter equation of state will come from pulse profile modelling of
accretion-powered pulsars, burst oscillation sources, and rotation-powered
pulsars. Additional constraints will derive from spin measurements, burst
spectra, and properties of the accretion flows in the vicinity of the neutron
star. Under development by an international Consortium led by the Institute of
High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science, the eXTP mission is
expected to be launched in the mid 2020s.Comment: Accepted for publication on Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. (2019
High energy Millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations in 1A 0535+262 with Insight-HXMT challenge current models
We studied the millihertz quasi-periodic oscillation (mHz QPO) in the 2020
outburst of the Be/X-ray binary 1A 0535+262 using Insight-HXMT data over a
broad energy band. The mHz QPO is detected in the 27-120 keV energy band. The
QPO centroid frequency is correlated with the source flux, and evolves in the
35-95 mHz range during the outburst. The QPO is most significant in the 50-65
keV band, with a significance of ~ 8 sigma, but is hardly detectable (<2 sigma)
in the lowest (1-27 keV) and highest (>120 keV) energy bands. Notably, the
detection of mHz QPO above 80 keV is the highest energy at which mHz QPOs have
been detected so far. The fractional rms of the mHz QPO first increases and
then decreases with energy, reaching the maximum amplitude at 50-65 keV. In
addition, at the peak of the outburst, the mHz QPO shows a double-peak
structure, with the difference between the two peaks being constant at ~0.02
Hz, twice the spin frequency of the neutron star in this system. We discuss
different scenarios explaining the generation of the mHz QPO, including the
beat frequency model, the Keplerian frequency model, the model of two jets in
opposite directions, and the precession of the neutron star, but find that none
of them can explain the origin of the QPO well. We conclude that the
variability of non-thermal radiation may account for the mHz QPO, but further
theoretical studies are needed to reveal the physical mechanism.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Star forming dwarf galaxies
Star forming dwarf galaxies (SFDGs) have a high gas content and low
metallicities, reminiscent of the basic entities in hierarchical galaxy
formation scenarios. In the young universe they probably also played a major
role in the cosmic reionization. Their abundant presence in the local volume
and their youthful character make them ideal objects for detailed studies of
the initial stellar mass function (IMF), fundamental star formation processes
and its feedback to the interstellar medium. Occasionally we witness SFDGs
involved in extreme starbursts, giving rise to strongly elevated production of
super star clusters and global superwinds, mechanisms yet to be explored in
more detail. SFDGs is the initial state of all dwarf galaxies and the relation
to the environment provides us with a key to how different types of dwarf
galaxies are emerging. In this review we will put the emphasis on the exotic
starburst phase, as it seems less important for present day galaxy evolution
but perhaps fundamental in the initial phase of galaxy formation.Comment: To appear in JENAM Symposium "Dwarf Galaxies: Keys to Galaxy
Formation and Evolution", P. Papaderos, G. Hensler, S. Recchi (eds.). Lisbon,
September 2010, Springer Verlag, in pres
The 2019 surface acoustic waves roadmap
Today, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and bulk acoustic waves are already two of the very few phononic technologies of industrial relevance and can been found in a myriad of devices employing these nanoscale earthquakes on a chip. Acoustic radio frequency filters, for instance, are integral parts of wireless devices. SAWs in particular find applications in life sciences and microfluidics for sensing and mixing of tiny amounts of liquids. In addition to this continuously growing number of applications, SAWs are ideally suited to probe and control elementary excitations in condensed matter at the limit of single quantum excitations. Even collective excitations, classical or quantum are nowadays coherently interfaced by SAWs. This wide, highly diverse, interdisciplinary and continuously expanding spectrum literally unites advanced sensing and manipulation applications. Remarkably, SAW technology is inherently multiscale and spans from single atomic or nanoscopic units up even to the millimeter scale. The aim of this Roadmap is to present a snapshot of the present state of surface acoustic wave science and technology in 2019 and provide an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds from a group of renown experts, covering the interdisciplinary key areas, ranging from fundamental quantum effects to practical applications of acoustic devices in life science
Disc-corona interaction in the heartbeat state of GRS 1915+105
Timing analysis provides information about the dynamics of matter accreting
on to neutron stars and black holes, and hence is crucial for studying the
physics of the accretion flow around these objects. It is difficult, however,
to associate the different variability components with each of the spectral
components of the accretion flow. We apply several new methods to two Rossi
X-ray Timing Explorer observations of the black hole binary GRS 1915+105 during
its heartbeat state to explore the origin of the X-ray variability and the
interactions of the accretion-flow components. We offer a promising window into
the disc--corona interaction through analysing the formation regions of the
disc aperiodic variabilities with different time-scales via comparing the
corresponding transition energies of the amplitude-ratio spectra. In a previous
paper, we analysed the Fourier power density as a function of energy and
frequency to study the origin of the aperiodic variability, and combined that
analysis with the phase lag as a function of frequency to derive a picture of
the disc--corona interaction in this source. We here, for the first time,
investigate the phase lag as a function of energy and frequency, and display
some interesting details of the disc--corona interaction. Besides, the results
from the shape of amplitude-ratio spectrum and from several other aspects
suggest that the quasi-periodic oscillation originates from the corona.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Talaromyces atroroseus, a new species efficiently producing industrially relevant red pigments
Some species of Talaromyces secrete large amounts of red pigments. Literature has linked this character to species such as Talaromyces purpurogenus, T. albobiverticillius, T. marneffei, and T. minioluteus often under earlier Penicillium names. Isolates identified as T. purpurogenus have been reported to be interesting industrially and they can produce extracellular enzymes and red pigments, but they can also produce mycotoxins such as rubratoxin A and B and luteoskyrin. Production of mycotoxins limits the use of isolates of a particular species in biotechnology. Talaromyces atroroseus sp. nov., described in this study, produces the azaphilone biosynthetic families mitorubrins and Monascus pigments without any production of mycotoxins. Within the red pigment producing clade, T. atroroseus resolved in a distinct clade separate from all the other species in multigene phylogenies (ITS, β-tubulin and RPB1), which confirm its unique nature. Talaromyces atroroseus resembles T. purpurogenus and T. albobiverticillius in producing red diffusible pigments, but differs from the latter two species by the production of glauconic acid, purpuride and ZG-1494α and by the dull to dark green, thick walled ellipsoidal conidia produced. The type strain of Talaromyces atroroseus is CBS 133442
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