Suitability Mapping of Solar Energy Potential of Selected Areas in Camarines Sur using ArcGIS

Abstract— Solar energy, the most common and scalable renewable energy, has a huge potential to supply the increasing electricity demand. Hence, proper site selection for deploying solar PV systems is required. This paper presents the development of a solar suitability map to identify potential sites for solar PV systems in the selected areas in the Rinconada District of the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. ArcGIS analyzed the annual average solar radiation, weather datasets, and geographical conditions and performed suitability mapping combined with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify the weights of the nine criteria of suitable site selection. Based on these factors, twenty-seven (27) barangays were found suitable, where the central and eastern parts of Barangay Malawag in Nabua and a massive part of Barangay Causip in Bula are the most suitable locations for large-scale solar PV installation

Variability of airborne particle metrics in an urban area

In the present study a mobile monitoring approach (i.e. bike with onboard instruments) was proposed and applied to investigate the spatial variability of all the key airborne particle metrics in an Italian urban area from a statistical point of view. Particle number, alveolar-deposited surface area, and PM10 concentrations were measured through hand-held monitors and compared to simultaneous background concentrations by means of non-parametric tests and further post-hoc tests (Kruskal-Wallis test). Streets characterized by exposure levels statistically higher than the background levels for all the particle metrics were identified for different seasons in a pilot urban area (Cassino, Italy). A higher number of hot spots was detected for metrics affected by ultrafine particles (i.e. number and alveolar-deposited surface area concentrations) with respect to PM10. The effect of metrological requirements of the instrumentation on the proposed method was also discussed

Investigations into factors affecting personal exposure to particles in urban microenvironments using low-cost sensors

Epidemiological studies have linked outdoor PM2.5 concentrations to a range of health effects, although people spend most of the time indoors. To better understand how individuals' exposure vary as they move between different indoor and outdoor microenvironments, our study investigated personal PM2.5 exposure and exposure intensity of 14 adult volunteers over one week (five weekdays and one weekend), using low-cost personal monitors, recording PM2.5 concentrations in 5 min intervals. Further, the study evaluated community perception of air pollution exposure during the recruitment and engagement with the volunteers. We found that people with tertiary education across all ages had greater interest in participating, with younger people being interested regardless of the level of education. The derived exposures and exposure intensities differed between weekdays and the weekend due to larger variations in individuals' daily routines. In general, time spent at home and engaged in indoor activities was associated with the highest personal PM2.5 exposure and exposure intensity on both, week and weekend days, implying the significance of both duration of the exposure and the indoor PM2.5 concentrations. The results showed no relationship between personal exposures and indoor characteristics of home (ventilation, building age and cooktop), which are expected to be due to the study's small sample size. The observed PM2.5 > 10 μg m−3 were significantly higher for distances <50 m to the roads for both major and minor roads, and were observed in areas with <16% open space, which were also close to a major road

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field