Flexible and reliable operation of a photovoltaic system through a back-to-back converter

Paper presented to the 3rd Southern African Solar Energy Conference, South Africa, 11-13 May, 2015.Photovoltaic systems, despite their 40 % annual growing over the 10 last years, have yet high initial installations costs. There are oversizing problems and storage difficulties inherent of isolated systems. For interconnected systems, the islanding is still the main challenge. This work proposes the use of a "backto- back" converter that allows the improvement of the sun's energy, especially in localities where the distribution network is intermittent. The proposed configuration enables the operation of photovoltaic systems in three different operation modes at the point of maximum power and a smooth transition between modes without the need of batteries for storage. Simulation results in PSCAD/EMTDC are presented to prove all the functionality of the proposed configuration.dc201

The Giant Anisotropic Magnetocaloric Effect In Dyal2

We report on calculations of the anisotropic magnetocaloric effect in DyAl2 using a model Hamiltonian including crystalline electrical field effects. The anisotropic effect is produced by the rotation of a constant magnetic field from the easy to a hard magnetic direction in the crystal and is enhanced by the first order nature of the field induced spin reorientation transition. The calculated results indicate that for a field with modulus of 2 T rotating from a hard to the easy direction, the isothermal magnetic entropy (Δ Siso) and adiabatic temperature (Δ Tad) changes present peak values higher than 60% the ones observed in the usual process, in which the field direction is kept constant and the modulus of the field is varied. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.1049Tishin, A.M., Spichkin, Y.I., (2003) The Magnetocaloric Effect and Its Applications, , 1st ed. (Institute of Physics, Bristol)Warburg, E., (1881) Ann. Phys. (N.Y.), 13, p. 141. , 0003-4916Brown, G.V., (1976) J. Appl. Phys., 47, p. 3673. , 0021-8979 10.1063/1.323176Pecharsky, V.K., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., (1997) Phys. Rev. Lett., 78, p. 4494. , 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.4494Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Mello, C., Garcia, D.C., De Souza, V.A., Magnus, A., Carvalho, G., (2006) Phys. Rev. B, 74, p. 054425. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.74.054425Hill, T.W., Wallace, W.E., Craig, R.S., Inuone, T.J., (1973) Solid State Chem., 8, p. 364. , 10.1016/S0022-4596(73)80036-2De Oliveira, I.G., Garcia, D.C., Von Ranke, P.J., (2007) J. Appl. Phys., 102, p. 073907. , 0021-8979 10.1063/1.2783781Lima, A.L., Tsokol, A.O., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., Pecharky, V.K., Lograsso, T.A., Schlagel, D.L., (2005) Phys. Rev. B, 72, p. 024403. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.72.024403Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, I.G., Guimarães, A.P., Da Silva, X.A., (2000) Phys. Rev. B, 61, p. 447. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.61.447Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Garcia, D.C., De Sousa, V.S.R., De Souza, V.A., Magnus, A., Carvalho, G., Reis, M.S., (2007) Phys. Rev. B, 75, p. 184420. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.75.184420Purwins, H.G., Leson, A., (1990) Adv. Phys., 39, p. 309. , 0001-8732 10.1080/00018739000101511Von Ranke, P.J., Pecharsky, V.K., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., (1998) Phys. Rev. B, 58, p. 1211

Anomalous diffusion and Tsallis statistics in an optical lattice

We point out a connection between anomalous quantum transport in an optical lattice and Tsallis' generalized thermostatistics. Specifically, we show that the momentum equation for the semiclassical Wigner function that describes atomic motion in the optical potential, belongs to a class of transport equations recently studied by Borland [PLA 245, 67 (1998)]. The important property of these ordinary linear Fokker--Planck equations is that their stationary solutions are exactly given by Tsallis distributions. Dissipative optical lattices are therefore new systems in which Tsallis statistics can be experimentally studied.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

A mathematical analysis of the evolution of perturbations in a modified Chaplygin gas model

One approach in modern cosmology consists in supposing that dark matter and dark energy are different manifestations of a single `quartessential' fluid. Following such idea, this work presents a study of the evolution of perturbations of density in a flat cosmological model with a modified Chaplygin gas acting as a single component. Our goal is to obtain properties of the model which can be used to distinguish it from another cosmological models which have the same solutions for the general evolution of the scale factor of the universe, without the construction of the power spectrum. Our analytical results, which alone can be used to uniquely characterize the specific model studied in our work, show that the evolution of the density contrast can be seen, at least in one particular case, as composed by a spheroidal wave function. We also present a numerical analysis which clearly indicates as one interesting feature of the model the appearence of peaks in the evolution of the density constrast.Comment: 21 pages, accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio

A IMPORTÂNCIA DA INFORMAÇÃO FINANCEIRA NAS EMPRESAS PORTUGUESAS: O JUSTO VALOR DO ATIVO FIXO TANGÍVEL

RESUMO Motivação: A União Europeia preconizou, através do Regulamento 1606/2002, a obrigatoriedade da adoção das normas do IASB nas contas consolidadas de todas as empresas cotadas em bolsas europeias, a partir de 1 de Janeiro de 2005. A transição para as IAS/IFRS em 2005 na Europa proporciona uma oportunidade única para estudar forças e fatores explicativos das práticas contabilísticas, particularmente na adoção do justo valor. O modo de mensuração tradicionalmente adotado pelas empresas europeias, no relato financeiro, é o custo histórico, enquanto as normas do IASB apresentam-se mais próximas do critério do justo valor. Objetivo do estudo: O presente estudo investiga a importância da informação financeira para investidor, nomeadamente o justo valor nas empresas portuguesas cotadas em bolsa de valores, no que concerne aos ativos fixos tangíveis. Assumindo que as escolhas contabilísticas são influenciadas por um conjunto de variáveis e que as empresas ponderam e reconhecem a importância da informação financeira, procurou-se neste estudo identificar se a informação sobre o valor do ativo fixo tangível, endividamento, o resultado líquido e o ganho de revalorização está incorporado no preço das ações. Metodologia: O presente estudo empírico baseia-se em empresas cotadas portuguesas, incluídas na Bolsa de Valores de Lisboa, tendo sido analisado o período de 1995 a 2014. Para o efeito, utilizamos a base de dados Thomson Worldscope Database. Para identificar se a informação financeira está incorporada no preço das ações, utilizamos o modelo de avaliação de Ohlson (1995). Resultados / Contribuições: No geral, os resultados obtidos vão de encontro às nossas expectativas. Eles indicam que, tanto antes da adoção das IFRS, como após a adoção das IFRS, a informação representada no valor das ações pelas empresas, é influenciada, de modo significativo, pelo valor dos ativos, o nível de endividamento e o resultado líquido. Palavras-chave: Ativo Fixo Tangível, Justo Valor, IFRS, Portuga

From cosmic deceleration to acceleration: new constraints from SN Ia and BAO/CMB

We use type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) data in combination with recent baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations to constrain a kink-like parametrization of the deceleration parameter ($q$). This $q$-parametrization can be written in terms of the initial ($q_i$) and present ($q_0$) values of the deceleration parameter, the redshift of the cosmic transition from deceleration to acceleration ($z_t$) and the redshift width of such transition ($\tau$). By assuming a flat space geometry, $q_i=1/2$ and adopting a likelihood approach to deal with the SN Ia data we obtain, at the 68% confidence level (C.L.), that: $z_t=0.56^{+0.13}_{-0.10}$, $\tau=0.47^{+0.16}_{-0.20}$ and $q_0=-0.31^{+0.11}_{-0.11}$ when we combine BAO/CMB observations with SN Ia data processed with the MLCS2k2 light-curve fitter. When in this combination we use the SALT2 fitter we get instead, at the same C.L.: $z_t=0.64^{+0.13}_{-0.07}$, $\tau=0.36^{+0.11}_{-0.17}$ and $q_0=-0.53^{+0.17}_{-0.13}$. Our results indicate, with a quite general and model independent approach, that MLCS2k2 favors Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati-like cosmological models, while SALT2 favors $\Lambda$CDM-like ones. Progress in determining the transition redshift and/or the present value of the deceleration parameter depends crucially on solving the issue of the difference obtained when using these two light-curve fitters.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

Deletion of kinin B2 receptor alters muscle metabolism and exercise performance

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Mitochondria is the main site of ATP production and its dysfunction leads to decreased oxidative phosphorylation, resulting in lipid accumulation and insulin resistance. Our group has demonstrated that kinins can modulate glucose and lipid metabolism as well as skeletal muscle mass. By using B2 receptor knockout mice (B2R-/-) we investigated whether kinin action affects weight gain and physical performance of the animals. Our results show that B2R-/- mice are resistant to high fat diet-induced obesity, have higher glucose tolerance as well as increased mitochondrial mass. These features are accompanied by higher energy expenditure and a lower feed efficiency associated with an increase in the proportion of type I fibers and intermediary fibers characterized by higher mitochondrial content and increased expression of genes related to oxidative metabolism. Additionally, the increased percentage of oxidative skeletal muscle fibers and mitochondrial apparatus in B2R-/- mice is coupled with a higher aerobic exercise performance. Taken together, our data give support to the involvement of kinins in skeletal muscle fiber type distribution and muscle metabolism, which ultimately protects against fat-induced obesity and improves aerobic exercise performance

A Comparative Study Of The Magnetocaloric Effect In Rni2 (r=nd,gd,tb) Intermetallic Compounds

Conventional and anisotropic magnetocaloric effects were studied in cubic rare earth RNi2 (R=Nd,Gd,Tb) ferromagnetic intermetallic compounds. These three compounds are representative of small, null, and large magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the series, respectively. Magnetic measurements were performed in polycrystalline samples in order to obtain the isothermal magnetocaloric data, which were confronted with theoretical results based on mean field calculations. For the R=Tb case, we explore the crystalline electrical-field anisotropy to predict the anisotropic magnetocaloric behavior due to the rotation of an applied magnetic field of constant intensity. Our results suggest the possibility of using both conventional and anisotropic magnetic entropy changes to extend the range of temperatures for use in the magnetocaloric effect. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.1051Pecharsky, V.K., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., (1997) Phys. Rev. Lett., 78, p. 4494. , 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.4494Pecharsky, V.K., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., (1997) Appl. Phys. Lett., 70, p. 3299. , 0003-6951 10.1063/1.119206Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Mello, C., Garcia, D.C., De Souza, V.A., Carvalho, A.M.G., (2006) Phys. Rev. B, 74, p. 054425. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.74.054425De Oliveira, I.G., Garcia, D.C., Von Ranke, P.J., (2007) J. Appl. Phys., 102, p. 073907. , 0021-8979 10.1063/1.2783781Lima, A.L., Tsokol, A.O., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., Pecharsky, V.K., Lograsso, T.A., Schlagel, D.L., (2005) Phys. Rev. B, 72, p. 024403. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.72.024403Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Garcia, D.C., De Souza, V.S.R., De Souza, V.A., Carvalho, A.M.G., Gama, S., Reis, M.S., (2007) Phys. Rev. B, 75, p. 184420. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.75.184420Carvalho, A.M.G., Campoy, J.C.P., Coelho, A.A., Plaza, E.J.R., Gama, S., Von Ranke, P.J., (2005) J. Appl. Phys., 97, p. 083905. , 0021-8979 10.1063/1.1876575Plaza, E.J.R., De Sousa, V.S.R., Alho, B.P., Von Ranke, P.J., (unpublished)Von Ranke, P.J., De Oliveira, N.A., Plaza, E.J.R., De Souza, V.S.R., Alho, B., Carvalho, A.M.G., Gama, S., Reis, M.S., (2008) J. Appl. Phys., 104, p. 093906. , 0021-8979 10.1063/1.3009974Lindbaum, A., Gratz, E., Heathman, S., (2002) Phys. Rev. B, 65, p. 134114. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.65.134114Purwins, H.G., Leson, A., (1990) Adv. Phys., 39, p. 309. , 0001-8732 10.1080/00018739000101511Lea, K.R., Leask, M.J.M., Wolf, W.P., (1962) J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 23, p. 1381. , 0022-3697 10.1016/0022-3697(62)90192-0Stevens, K.W.H., (1952) Proc. Phys. Soc., London, Sect. A, 65, p. 209. , 0370-1298 10.1088/0370-1298/65/3/308Von Ranke, P.J., Pecharsky, V.K., Gschneidner Jr., K.A., (1998) Phys. Rev. B, 58, p. 12110. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.58.12110Von Ranke, P.J., Nóbrega, E.P., De Oliveira, I.G., Gomes, A.M., Sarthour, R.S., (2001) Phys. Rev. B, 63, p. 184406. , 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.63.18440

Revision and annotation of DNA barcode records for marine invertebrates: Report of the 8th iBOL conference hackathon

The accuracy of specimen identification through DNA barcoding and metabarcoding relies on reference libraries containing records with reliable taxonomy and sequence quality. The considerable growth in barcode data requires stringent data curation, especially in taxonomically difficult groups such as marine invertebrates. A major effort in curating marine barcode data in the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) was undertaken during the 8th International Barcode of Life Conference (Trondheim, Norway, 2019). Major taxonomic groups (crustaceans, echinoderms, molluscs, and polychaetes) were reviewed to identify those which had disagreement between Linnaean names and Barcode Index Numbers (BINs). The records with disagreement were annotated with four tags: A) MIS-ID (misidentified, mislabeled, or contaminated records), b) AMBIG (ambiguous records unresolved with the existing data), c) COMPLEX (species names occurring in multiple BINs), and d) SHARE (barcodes shared between species). A total of 83,712 specimen records corresponding to 7,576 species were reviewed and 39% of the species were tagged (7% MIS-ID, 17% AMBIG, 14% COMPLEX, and 1% SHARE). High percentages (>50%) of AMBIG tags were recorded in gastropods, whereas COMPLEX tags dominated in crustaceans and polychaetes. The high proportion of tagged species reflects either flaws in the barcoding workflow (e.g., misidentification, cross-contamination) or taxonomic difficulties (e.g., synonyms, undescribed species). Although data curation is essential for barcode applications, such manual attempts to examine large datasets are unsustainable and automated solutions are extremely desirable.The hackathon was organized with financial support from the European Union COST Action DNAqua-Net (CA 15219 https://dnaqua.net/) in the scope of the 8th International Barcode of Life Conference in Trondheim, Norway on 16 June 2019. DNAqua-Net is acknowledged for the funding provided and the local conference organizers for all the logistical support that ensured a successful event. Tyler Elliot and the rest of the BOLD team are acknowledged for their help with data queries and analytics. The authors also thank the hackathon participants for vibrant discussions during and after the event: Berry van der Hoorn, Katrine Konsghavn, Guy Paz, Mouna Rifi, Malin Strand, Anne Helene Tandberg, Adam Wall, and Endre Willassen. Marcos A. L. Teixeira was supported by a PhD grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT I.P.) co-financed by ESF (SFRH/BD/131527/2017). Financial support granted by FCT to Sofia Duarte (CEECIND/00667/2017) and to Pedro E. Vieira (project NIS-DNA, PTDC/BIA-BMA/29754/2017) is also acknowledged. Sanna Majaneva was financially supported by the Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative (project no. 70184235). The authors thank the five reviewers who provided valuable input into the earlier version of the manuscript