Exploring regional solutions to fishermen disputes in South Asia

Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen are often in the news having been arrested for crossing maritime borders. Niroshika Liyana Muhandiram and Mohit Gupta write that this is not a bilateral issue but a regional one, and outline how fora such as SAARC and BIMSTEC could assist in coming up with long term solutions to fishing-related conflicts

Interplay of buried histidine protonation and protein stability in prion misfolding

Misofolding of mammalian prion proteins (PrP) is believed to be the cause of a group of rare and fatal neurodegenerative diseases. Despite intense scrutiny however, the mechanism of the misfolding reaction remains unclear. We perform nuclear Magnetic Resonance and thermodynamic stability measurements on the C-terminal domains (residues 90–231) of two PrP variants exhibiting different pH-induced susceptibilities to aggregation: the susceptible hamster prion (GHaPrP) and its less susceptible rabbit homolog (RaPrP). The pKa of histidines in these domains are determined from titration experiments, and proton-exchange rates are measured at pH 5 and pH 7. A single buried highly conserved histidine, H187/H186 in GHaPrP/RaPrP, exhibited a markedly down shifted pKa ~5 for both proteins. However, noticeably larger pH-induced shifts in exchange rates occur for GHaPrP versus RaPrP. Analysis of the data indicates that protonation of the buried histidine destabilizes both PrP variants, but produces a more drastic effect in the less stable GHaPrP. This interpretation is supported by urea denaturation experiments performed on both PrP variants at neutral and low pH, and correlates with the difference in disease susceptibility of the two species, as expected from the documented linkage between destabilization of the folded state and formation of misfolded and aggregated species

Multi-National Corporations and their Human Rights Obligations –A Legal Assessment of Ruggie Principles and other the UN Initiatives

Failure of creating a direct human rights obligation for the conduct of Multi-National Corporation is one of the pressing global issues of the 21st century. It has further intensified the influential role of MNCs across the globe. Although regulation of private entities has been recognized concerning war crimes, crimes against humanity, and forced labor but, there is no legal obligation for private entities to be accountable for human rights violations that they are involved in. Nonetheless, under the auspicious of United Nations Organizations few initiatives have been taken to regulate the activities of MNCs concerning their effects on human rights. The Code of Conduct for Transnational Corporations, the UN Global Compact, Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights and Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights (hereinafter Ruggie Principles) are significant in this regard. However, neither any such standards nor the Guiding Principles which is considered as the most authoritative statement of human rights duties of MNCs identify or emphasize direct human rights obligations of MNCs. They merely impose the indirect obligation of MNCs to respect, protect, and remedy human rights. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to assess the legal effects of the obligations created by these UN initiatives focusing more on Guiding Principles. This is normative research based on international legal instruments on human rights. The paper will argue that imposing due diligence on MNCs as a standard of conduct does not maintain a legal duty but, rather help to escape their responsibility. In conclusion, the paper will suggest to have a legally binding framework to regulate MNCs to protect, respect and remedy human rights for direct human rights obligation. Keywords: Human Rights, Direct Obligation, Indirect Obligation, Ruggie Principles, Due Diligenc

Doping and etching processes of iCL – CNT for high energy density supercapacitors

The purpose of this study is to investigate the defects resulting from the etching and N2 doping process which have the potential to increase the surface area of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and consequently enhance the energy density for energy storage devices. The synthesis of CNTs was carried out on an aluminium (Al) substrate followed by activation through KOH etching and controlled air oxidation at high temperatures to promote porosity. Although KOH etching yielded promising results in terms of porosity, however, the temperature used exceeded the melting point of the Al substrate. As a result, the CNT films needed to be scraped off from the substrate. The effect of oxidation of CNTs on capacitance and morphology was investigated. The results revealed an ideal oxidation time of less than 25 minutes which can increase the specific capacitance. However, longer durations may damage the CNTs and consequently reduce the capacitance. Moreover, the study compared the morphology and capacitance characteristics of CNTs synthesized using Ar and N2 as carrier gas and we found that N2 is a more cost-effective, practical, and feasible option for industrial applications. Notably, a higher gravimetric capacitance with a value of 68F/g was obtained using N2 as a carrier gas. However, further investigations are needed to determine the underlying cause of this improvement. In summary, this study highlights practical techniques for enhancing the surface area and porosity of CNTs, with and without a substrate, particularly for the development of high energy density supercapacitors

DISCRIMINANT FACTORS IN THE CHOICES OF TEA PLANT CULTIVARS AMONG SMALLHOLDERS IN BADULLA DISTRICT: MULTIPLE DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS

This study employed multiple discriminant analysis to examine whether significant differences exist among the different group of tea smallholders in terms of their demographic and farming characteristics and to identify the significant factors influencing in the selection of different tea plant cultivars in Badulla district. The data were collected during the period November to December in 2019 and a sample of 108 tea smallholders has been randomly selected from three major tea producing regions namely  Badulla, Haliela and Bandarawela divisions of the Uva region in the district. Frequency analysis reveals that, 43.5% of the tea smallholders chose VP 20/25 while 29.6% and 26.9% of them chose VP 20/23 and CY 9 cultivars respectively. Multiple discriminant analysis showed that, output from each tea plant cultivars and prices of each tea cultivar were the major discriminating variables as well as important influencing factors in selecting tea plant cultivars. Results of Fisher's linear discriminant functions revealed that as output increases, tea small holders are more likely to choose the cultivars VP20/25 and VP20/23 while less likely to select the CY9 cultivar. Similarly, as the price of the tea cultivar increases, they are more likely to adopt the CY9 cultivar than  other two in the study. The classification results revealed that 56% of the respondents were correctly classified into three different groups of tea smallholders and the estimated discriminant functions for CY9 (96.6%) and VP 20/23(62.5%) were classified with better accuracy than another group in the study. The findings of the study may assist the tea smallholders in understanding the critical factors in the selection of tea plant cultivars and guide the policymakers to take effective measures in the tea sector in the future.   Keywords: Choices of Tea Plant Cultivars, Demographic and Farming Characteristics, Fisher's Linear Discriminant Functions, Multiple Discriminant Analysis, Tea Smallholder

Solution structure of the inner DysF domain of myoferlin and implications for limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2b

Mutations in the protein dysferlin, a member of the ferlin family, lead to limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B and Myoshi myopathy. The ferlins are large proteins characterised by multiple C2 domains and a single C-terminal membrane-spanning helix. However, there is sequence conservation in some of the ferlin family in regions outside the C2 domains. In one annotation of the domain structure of these proteins, an unusual internal duplication event has been noted where a putative domain is inserted in between the N- and C-terminal parts of a homologous domain. This domain is known as the DysF domain. Here, we present the solution structure of the inner DysF domain of the dysferlin paralogue myoferlin, which has a unique fold held together by stacking of arginine and tryptophans, mutations that lead to clinical disease in dysferlin

IEC 61851 compliant demand side management algorithm for electric vehicle charging : a MILP based decentralized approach

Author's accepted manuscript.© 2023 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Charging scheduling algorithms play a vital role in diminishing the negative consequences on electricity networks from the widespread adaptation of electro-mobility. Therefore, there is a growing interest in a pragmatic solution that requires only modest resources. To reach this goal, we propose a decentralized, IEC charging standard compliant, two-layer charging scheduling algorithm, which only requires unidirectional communication and reduced computing capabilities. The objective of the algorithm proposed is to achieve valley filling by exploiting the flexibility of electric vehicles through optimal tracking of a target signal. The IEC standard compliant, semi-continuous charging characteristic is attained with a mixed-integer linear formulation. Different formulations of the problem by forming vehicle groups and randomization in charging events are examined. The results show that the IEC 61851-compliant formulation with a semi-continuous charging characteristic for the proposed method fails to perform as good as the variable charging rate formulation, which has a 2.8 and 3.9-fold deviation in the variance of the total demand relative to the variable charging rate at 50% and 100% penetration rates, respectively. Nevertheless, the inclusion of randomization and grouping improves the performance of the IEC standard-compliant formulation. Considering four groups, the variance in demand of semi-continuous charging formulation at 50% penetration is nearly equal to that of the variable charging rate proofing the viable potential of the technically feasible solution proposed.acceptedVersio

Voltage-based droop control of electric vehicles in distribution grids under different charging power levels

publishedVersio

Home energy management system : a home energy management system under different electricity pricing mechanisms

Masteroppgave i fornybar energi ENE 500 Universitetet i Agder 2014Peak demand is a severe problem in the electricity grid and it was solved by supply side management in the past. But nowadays the demand side management sources have drawn attention due to the economic and environmental constraints. Demand side management in the domestic sector can play an important role in reducing the peak demand on the power system network. It can help in reducing stress and overloading on the transmission and distribution lines. In many countries there are various demand response programs implemented for industrial and commercial loads. In these programs load control is primarily achieved by various types of pricing mechanisms. There are very few demand response programs in use for energy management in residential sector. Direct curtailment of the loads is the most popular method used to reduce the peak demand in the domestic sector. But by direct load control, customer comfort may be compromised. In contrast peak load reduction through load shifting can benefit both consumers and utilities. In order to analyze demand response in the domestic sector, it is important to understand physical based power intensive load models with an emphasis on water heater units, air conditioner units, clothes dryers and electric vehicles. In this work, these load models are developed considering thermodynamic principles of buildings as well as their built in technical parameters. With the development of smart grid systems specially in the distribution network and possibility of load modeling, there is a requirement of a domestic intelligent energy management algorithm. In this work, power intensive non-critical loads are managed through developed energy management system algorithm and these loads are water heater, air conditioning unit, clothes dryer and electric vehicle. With the introduction of electric vehicles, demand responses can be performed within home for avoiding any overloading problems in the distribution network as well as on power generation. Additionally, the electricity bill saving which can be gained through proposed energy management system is analyzed by considering different electricity pricing mechanisms. The highlight of the presented energy management system algorithm for home energy management is its capability to control the non-critical loads below specified peak demand limits by considering consumer behavior and priorities, giving consumers more flexibility in their operational time. Moreover, the results show that the electricity saving which can be gained through the proposed energy management system lies in a noticeably high range. It is expected that the research findings of this work can be beneficial to utilities in providing information of limits and scope of domestic demand responses. And also it is anticipated that the cost analysis carried out can be used to motivate the consumers towards demand response through the developed energy management system. Key words: Domestic demand response, Home energy management system (EMS), demand limits, non-critical loads, load priority, Time of Use pricing, Real Time Pricin