Key index framework for quantitative sustainability assessment of energy infrastructures in a smart city: An example of Western Sydney

Human society is experiencing a rapidly changing environment in which energy shortages and an ongoing climate crisis have been identified as two of the major challenges to the sustainable development of human civilization. In the face of these challenges, the concept of a smart city is proposed which aims at achieving sustainable development, increasing the quality of life, and improving the cost-effectiveness of existing and new energy infrastructures. To this end, this study proposes a general framework with a three-tier story chart for guiding the establishment of sustainability assessment models and the selection of their indicators. In addition, a quantitative analysis method is developed for assessing the sustainability of energy infrastructures in a smart city, which indicates how the long-term sustainability of the energy infrastructure can be achieved. The proposed method incorporates extensive environmental, economic, and social indicators, which go beyond conventional facility-level criteria and seamlessly relate to the broader community that benefits from the renewable energy transition (including energy construction, operations, and energy services). The proposed methodologies can be implemented through collecting the corresponding history data of the indicators and following the analysis procedures presented in this study. The proposed methodology can serve as a supporting tool for decision-making on new infrastructure investment and policymaking toward sustainable development. Case studies in Western Sydney were carried out to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed methodologies

Clinicopathological characteristics of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis resulting in a totally locked-in state (communication Stage V)

In the present study, we performed a comprehensive analysis to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that had progressed to result in a totally locked-in state (communication Stage V), in which all voluntary movements are lost and communication is impossible. In 11 patients, six had phosphorylated TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (pTDP-43)-immunoreactive (ir) neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI), two had fused in sarcoma (FUS)-ir NCI, and three had copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1)-ir NCI. The time from ALS onset to the need for tracheostomy invasive ventilation was less than 24 months in ten patients. Regardless of accumulated protein, all the patients showed common lesions in the pallido-nigro-luysian system, brainstem reticular formation, and cerebellar efferent system, in addition to motor neurons. In patients with pTDP-43-ir NCI, patients with NCI in the hippocampal dentate granule neurons (DG) showed a neuronal loss in the cerebral cortex, and patients without NCI in DG showed a preserved cerebral cortex. By contrast, in patients with FUS-ir NCI, patients with NCI in DG showed a preserved cerebral cortex and patients without NCI in DG showed marked cerebral degeneration. The cerebral cortex of patients with SOD1-ir NCI was preserved. Together, these findings suggest that lesions of the cerebrum are probably not necessary for progression to Stage V. In conclusion, patients with ALS that had progressed to result in communication Stage V showed rapidly-progressed symptoms, and their common lesions could cause the manifestations of communication Stage V.ArticleACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS.4:107(2016)journal articl

Representative Physical Properties for the Vapor Boundary Layer in the Case of Laminar Film Condensation of Binary Vapor Mixtures : (II) Free-Convection Condensation

The numerical analysis is made for free-convection condensation of binary vapor mixtures quite similarly as the case of forced-convection condensation. The physical properties which are evaluated at the arithmetic mean of the mass concentrations at the vapor-liquid interface and the bulk and the corresponding saturation temperature are recommended as the representative ones in the case of the algebraic solution

Representative Physical Properties for the Vapor Boundary Layer in the Case of Laminar Film Condensation of Binary Vapor Mixtures : (I) Forced-Convection Condensation

The two-phase boundary layer equations for forced-convection condensation of binary vapor mixtures air-water and ethanol-water are numerically solved under the assumption that the physical properties in the vapor phase depend on mass concentration and temperature and those in the condensate film are constant. The results for wall heat flux and concentration mass flux agree well with the solutions of the author\u27s algebraic equations when the physical properties are evaluated at the arithmetic mean of the mass concentration at the vapor-liquid interface and the bulk and the corresponding saturation temperature, or evaluated at the arithmetic means of the mass concentration and temperature at the vapor-liquid interface and the bulk, and agree with the arithmetic mean values of the wall heat flux and concentration mass flux which are solved by using the physical properties evaluated at the vapor-liquid interface and the bulk