Amplification Properties of Femtosecond Laser-Written Er3+/Yb3+ Doped Waveguides in a Tellurium-Zinc Glass

We report on the fabrication and characterization of active waveguides in a TeO2-ZnO glass sample doped with Er3+/Yb3+ fabricated by direct laser writing with a femtosecond laser delivering 150 fs pulses at 1 kHz repetition rate. The waveguides exhibit an internal gain of 0.6 dB/cm at 1535 nm, thus demonstrating the feasibility of active photonics lightwave circuits and lossless components in such a glass composition

Unit Commitment in a Competitive and Emission Constrained Environment

This paper is on the unit commitment problem, considering not only the economic perspective, but also the environmental perspective. We propose a bi-objective approach to handle the problem with conflicting profit and emission objectives. Numerical results based on the standard IEEE 30-bus test system illustrate the proficiency of the proposed approach

Nonlinear optimization method for short-term hydro scheduling considering head-dependency

This paper is on the problem of short-term hydro scheduling, particularly concerning head-dependent reservoirs under competitive environment. We propose a new nonlinear optimization method to consider hydroelectric power generation as a function of water discharge and also of the head. Head-dependency is considered on short-term hydro scheduling in order to obtain more realistic and feasible results. The proposed method has been applied successfully to solve a case study based on one of the main Portuguese cascaded hydro systems, providing a higher profit at a negligible additional computation time in comparison with a linear optimization method that ignores head-dependency

A practical approach for profit-based unit commitment with emission limitations

This paper proposes a practical approach for profit-based unit commitment (PBUC) with emission limitations. Under deregulation, unit commitment has evolved from a minimum-cost optimisation problem to a profit-based optimisation problem. However, as a consequence of growing environmental concern, the impact of fossil-fuelled power plants must be considered, giving rise to emission limitations. The simultaneous address of the profit with the emission is taken into account in our practical approach by a multiobjective optimisation (MO) problem. Hence, trade-off Curves between profit and emission are obtained for different energy price profiles, in a way to aid decision-makers concerning emission allowance trading. Moreover, a new parameter is presented, ratio of change, and the corresponding gradient angle, enabling the proper selection of a compromise commitment for the units. A case study based on the standard IEEE 30-bus system is presented to illustrate the proficiency Of Our practical approach for the new competitive and environmentally constrained electricity supply industry

Parameterisation effect on the behaviour of a head-dependent hydro chain using a nonlinear model

This paper is on the problem of short-term hydro scheduling (STHS), particularly concerning a head-dependent hydro chain. We use a method based on nonlinear programming (NLP), namely quadratic programming, to consider hydroelectric power generation a function of water discharge and of the head. The method has been applied successfully to solve a test case based on a realistic cascaded hydro system with a negligible computational time requirement and is also applied to show that the role played by reservoirs in the hydro chain do not depend only on their relative position. As a new contribution to earlier studies, which presented reservoir operation rules mainly for medium and long-term planning procedures, we show that the physical data defining hydro chain parameters used in the nonlinear model have an effect on the STHS, implying different optimal storage trajectories for the reservoirs accordingly not only with their position in the hydro chain but also with the new parameterisation defining the data for the hydro system. Moreover, considering head dependency in the hydroelectric power generation, usually neglected for hydro plants with a large storage capacity, provides a better short-term management of the conversion of the potential energy available in the reservoirs into electric energy, which represents a major advantage for the hydroelectric utilities in a competitive electricity market

Short-term electricity prices forecasting in a competitive market: A neural network approach

This paper proposes a neural network approach for forecasting short-term electricity prices. Almost until the end of last century, electricity supply was considered a public service and any price forecasting which was undertaken tended to be over the longer term, concerning future fuel prices and technical improvements. Nowadays, short-term forecasts have become increasingly important since the rise of the competitive electricity markets. In this new competitive framework, short-term price forecasting is required by producers and consumers to derive their bidding strategies to the electricity market. Accurate forecasting tools are essential for producers to maximize their profits, avowing profit losses over the misjudgement of future price movements, and for consumers to maximize their utilities. A three-layered feedforward neural network, trained by the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, is used for forecasting next-week electricity prices. We evaluate the accuracy of the price forecasting attained with the proposed neural network approach, reporting the results from the electricity markets of mainland Spain and California

Spathodea campanulata (Bignoniaceae): flower visitors and nectar characteristics.

Spathodea campanulata is an exotic plant often used in arborisation of Brazilian cities.Its flower resources are toxic for insects, including bees. In order to investigate this westudied a tree located at Embrapa Semiárido (Petrolina) in July-August 2017-2018

A globally applicable PCR-based detection and discrimination of BK and JC polyomaviruses

BKV and JCV belong to the Polyomaviridae family and are opportunistic agents associated with complications in immunocompromised individuals. Although a single screening assay for both viruses would be convenient, the diversity of BKV and JCV serotypes and genotypes is a methodological challenge. In this paper, we developed a PCR method able to detect and segregate BKV and JCV, despite these genetic discrepancies. A duplex semi-nested PCR (duplex snPCR) was designed to target a conserved region (639nt-1516nt) within the VP2 gene. In the first PCR, a primer set common to all BKV and JCV serotypes/ genotypes was used, followed by a semi-nested PCR with internal primers for BKV and JCV segregation. The limit of detection of the duplex snPCR was as low as 10 copies of BKV or JCV plasmids/µL. Specific products were observed when JCV and BKV plasmids were mixed in the same reaction. In field sample testing, the duplex snPCR detected and distinguished both viruses in different biological samples. Results were confirmed by Sanger’s sequencing. The geographical complexity of BKV and JCV serotypes and genotypes imposes limits to a simple and universal method that could detect each virus. However, we describe here a sensitive and reliable PCR technique for BKV and JCV diagnosis that overcomes these limitations and could be universally applied