46 research outputs found

    Telecommunication of stabilizing signals in power systems

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    Deregulation of the power industry has occurred at a rapid pace, opening some promising competition between suppliers. The result of this competition should be to the benefit of customers.;Telecommunication plays a crucial role in integrating systems and ensuring smooth operation by way of exchanging data and information between various systems that are responsible for monitoring and control of the grid. For example, a Power System Stabilizer (PSS) controller could be placed at one of the generators and requires remote measurements. All the communication schemes within the network generate delays that are characterized in this project using OPNET Modeler. OPNET Modeler is also used to characterize the number of dropped packets.;As a case study, we consider a two-area four-generator (2A4G) and explore the role of communication delay on system stability. Those delays play an important role in the design of a controller that can help the damping of electro-mechanical oscillations between interconnected synchronous generators and therefore maintain the system stability. The network statistics are then imported into Simulink in order to visualize the speed of the shaft w2 as a function of time. Additional communication options to the inter-area oscillation problem are offered at the end of the thesis (use of Virtual Private Network (VPN), use of fiber optic dedicated network, or the use of IPv6 protocol)

    Robustness measures for signal detection in non-stationary noise using differential geometric tools

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    We propose the study of robustness measures for signal detection in non-stationary noise using differential geometric tools in conjunction with empirical distribution analysis. Our approach shows that the gradient can be viewed as a random variable and therefore used to generate sample densities allowing one to draw conclusions regarding the robustness. As an example, one can apply the geometric methodology to the detection of time varying deterministic signals in imperfectly known dependent nonstationary Gaussian noise. We also compare stationary to non-stationary noise and prove that robustness is barely reduced by admitting non-stationarity. In addition, we show that robustness decreases with larger sample sizes, but there is a convergence in this decrease for sample sizes greater than 14. We then move on to compare the effect on robustness for signal detection between non-Gaussian tail effects and residual dependency. The work focuses on robustness as applied to tail effects for the noise distribution, affecting discrete-time detection of signals in independent non-stationary noise. This approach makes use of the extension to the generalized Gaussian case allowing the comparison in robustness between the Gaussian and Laplacian PDF. The obtained results are contrasted with the influence of dependency on robustness for a fixed tail category and draws consequences on residual dependency versus tail uncertainty

    Are solo driving commuters ready to switch to carpool? Heterogeneity of preferences in Lyon's urban area

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    International audienceWe conduct a discrete choice experiment on 1556 solo-driving commuters in Lyon, France to estimate the values of end-to-end travel time (VoTT) of commuting trips in the presence of a HOV-lane for four modes: Solo Driver, Carpool Driver, Carpool Passenger and Public Transport. Using discrete choice models, we find a strong heterogeneity in VoTT across modes and individuals. The analysis of individual heterogeneity distinguishes four behavior patterns: reluctant to mode change (20% of our sample), preferring the three alternative modes over solo driver (35%), preferring public transport (12%) and preferring driver modes whether solo or carpool (32%). We find that current solo drivers are more likely to switch to carpooling as a driver rather than as a passenger. As suggested by our simulations aimed at marginally changing mode shares, carpool passenger will be the scarce resource if one wants to decrease car traffic by stimulating carpooling for commuting trips

    Values of Time for Carpool Commuting with HOV lanes: A Discrete Choice Experiment in France

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    Working Papers du LAET, 2020/02We conduct a discrete choice experiment on 931 solo-driving commuters in Lyon, France to estimate the values of end-to-end travel time (VoTT) in the presence of an HOV lane for four modes: Solo Driver, Carpool Driver, Carpool Passenger and Public Transport. Mixed and latent class logit models are estimated. We find that Carpool Passenger, Carpool Driver and Public Transport median VoTTs are respectively around 20%, 40% and 60% higher than Solo Driver VoTT. The analysis of individual heterogeneity distinguishes three classes of behavior in our sample: open to carpool as a driver (41%), open to passenger modes (32%) and resistant to all alternatives to solo driving (28%). These three categories allow to identify solo drivers who could switch to carpool as drivers. We show that encouraging current solo drivers to switch to carpool as passengers will be more sensitive if public transport services are also improved

    Successive instabilities of confined Leidenfrost puddles

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    A Leidenfrost drop confined between two hot plates is unstable, if large enough. After a short delay to build a central vapor pocket, it forms a ring which rapidly expands and eventually bursts. We analyze this sequence of instabilities theoretically, and show that the ring size increases in a non-linear manner as a function of time, in agreement with experiments

    J Neuroendocrinol

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    Pregnenolone is a steroid with specific characteristics, being the first steroid to be synthesised from cholesterol at all sites of steroidogenesis, including the brain. For many years, pregnenolone was defined as an inactive precursor of all steroids because no specific target had been discovered. However, over the last decade, it has become a steroid of interest because it has been recognised as being a biomarker for brain-related disorders through the development of metabolomic approaches and advanced analytical methods. In addition, physiological roles for pregnenolone emerged when specific targets were discovered. In this review, we highlight the discovery of the selective interaction of pregnenolone with the type-1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R). After describing the specific characteristic of CB1Rs, we discuss the newly discovered mechanisms of their regulation by pregnenolone. In particular, we describe the action of pregnenolone as a negative allosteric modulator and a specific signalling inhibitor of the CB1R. These particular characteristics of pregnenolone provide a great strategic opportunity for therapeutic development in CB1-related disorders. Finally, we outline new perspectives using innovative genetic tools for the discovery of original regulatory mechanisms of pregnenolone on CB1-related functions

    Occurrence of 1,1 '-dimethyl-4,4 '-bipyridinium (Paraquat) in irrigated soil of the Lake Chad Basin, Niger

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    Increased use of agrochemical products to improve yields for irrigated crops in sub-Saharan Africa has been accompanied by a significant increase in the risk of environmental contamination. Detailed examples of the fate of pesticides after initial spreading on crop fields are scarce in tropical regions, where safe practices and related health risks are poorly understood by smallholder farmers. In the semi-arid environment of the Lake Chad Basin, SE Niger, both intrinsic properties of pesticides and extrinsic factors such as soil and climate helped to characterize processes leading to an accumulation of pesticides in soils. Analysis by HPLC-UV of a 6 m deep soil profile showed the presence of Paraquat at concentrations from 953 +/- 102 mu g kg(-1) to 3083 +/- 175 mu g kg(-1) at depths between 0.80 and 2.75 m below the land surface. Soil analysis revealed that up to approximately 15 % of the total soil matrix consists of smectites, a clay mineral capable of retaining cationic pesticides such as Paraquat, and a very low content of organic matter (<0.15 wt.% TOC). Paraquat could be stored and not bioavailable in a clayey barrier at approximately 2-m depth and therefore does not represent an immediate risk for populations or environment in this form. However, if the Paraquat application rate remains constant, the clayey barrier could reach a saturation limit within 150-200 years and 180-220 years if we consider a DT50 in soil of similar to 1,000 days (FAO). Consequently, it could lead to a deeper infiltration and so a pollution of groundwater. Such a scenario can represent a health risk for drinking water and for the Lake Chad, which is a major resource for this densely populated region of semi-arid Africa. Further analyses should focus on deeper layers and groundwater Paraquat contents to validate or invalidate the hypothesis of storage in this clay-rich layer
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