Coordinated Home Energy Management in Community Microgrids with Energy Sharing Among Smart Homes

International audienceThis paper presents a coordination mechanism for smart homes in community microgrids (smart neighborhoods) whether photovoltaics (PV), home battery storage and electric vehicles (EV) are available. The objective of the proposed method is to reduce the electricity cost of the users, as well as the aggregated peak load of the area by establishing an energy sharing ability among neighbors. A decentralized control algorithm deployed by the smart homes is used for battery control and appliance scheduling. It is assumed that the users are the owners of these resources and that they are selfish decision-makers who focus on increasing own benefit. For the neighborhood, a dynamic price model is used, where the price is associated to the aggregated consumption of the neighborhood area. Numerical results show that proposed coordination mechanism with energy sharing provides benefits for both the users and the utility

Marco de referencia para la resiliencia de las redes eléctricas de BT con inyección de potencia fotovoltaica

Context: Electrical distribution networks have undergone several changes in the last decade. Some changes include incorporating distributed energy sources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) generation systems. It could modify the performance of the electrical network and leads to new challenges such as evaluating the impacts of the PV integration, the response to electrical and climatic disturbances, and the planning and restructuring of networks. Electrical network behavior versus PV integration could be evaluated by quantifying the variation in operation and including network resilience. Objective: Propose a reference framework to evaluate the resilience of LV electrical networks with PV power injection. Methodology: This paper addresses the framework for evaluating the performance of a low voltage (LV) electrical network in the face of the integration of PVs. It collects research related to evaluating the resilience of electrical networks on severe climate changes, natural disasters, and typical maneuvers. Then, it proposes a guideline to evaluate the performance of LV electrical networks with the integration of PV generation sources and includes resilience. For this, the determination of resilience evaluation indices is proposed. The indices are obtained from a normalized transformation of the measurable electrical parameters of the networks. The parameters are those that present the most affected by PV integration or are significant in the performance of the networks. Finally, it presents the evaluation of a proposed resilience index for a university building LV network as a case study. Results: The resilience assessment proposal is applied to a case study. When evaluating the resilience of the voltage at the common coupling point of the PV, an index of 0.84 is obtained, equivalent to 59.8 hours of overvoltage. Conclusions: It is possible to improve the resilience of the BT network through management strategies. In the case study, a 29% reduction in overvoltage hours was obtained by applying a curtailment strategy to the PV system. Financing: ECOS-Nord, Minciencias and Universidad Industrial de Santander.Contexto: Las redes eléctricas de distribución han sufrido varios cambios en la última década. Algunos cambios incluyen la incorporación de fuentes de energía distribuidas, como los sistemas de generación solar fotovoltaica (PV). Esto podría modificar el rendimiento de la red eléctrica y generar nuevos desafíos como la evaluación de los impactos de la integración fotovoltaica, la respuesta a las perturbaciones eléctricas y climáticas y la planificación y reestructuración de las redes. El comportamiento de la red eléctrica frente a la integración fotovoltaica podría evaluarse cuantificando la variación en la operación e incluyendo la resiliencia de la red. Objetivo: Proponer un marco de referencia para la evaluación de la resiliencia de las redes eléctricas de BT con inyección de potencia PV. Metodología: Este artículo aborda el marco para evaluar el desempeño de una red eléctrica de baja tensión (BT) frente a la integración de las fotovoltaicas. Recoge investigaciones relacionadas con la evaluación de la resiliencia de las redes eléctricas ante cambios climáticos severos, desastres naturales y maniobras típicas, luego propone una guía para evaluar el desempeño de las redes eléctricas de baja tensión con la integración de las fuentes de generación fotovoltaica e incluye la resiliencia. Para ello, se propone la determinación de índices de evaluación de resiliencia. Los índices se obtienen de una transformación normalizada de los parámetros eléctricos medibles de las redes. Los parámetros son los que presentan los más afectados por la integración fotovoltaica o son significativos en el rendimiento de las redes. Finalmente, se presenta la evaluación de un índice de resiliencia propuesto para una red LV de edificio universitario como caso de estudio. Resultados: La propuesta de evaluación de resiliencia se aplica a un caso de estudio. Al evaluar la resiliencia de la tensión en el punto de acoplamiento común del PV se obtiene un índice de 0.84 equivalente a 59.8 horas de sobretensión. Conclusiones: Es posible mejorar la resiliencia de la red de BT mediante estrategias de gestión. En el caso de estudio se obtuvo una reducción del 29% de las horas con sobretensión aplicando una estrategia de curtailment al sistema PV. Financiamiento: ECOS-Nord, Minciencias y la Universidad Industrial de Santander

Book Reviews

Critical Thinking and Intelligence Analysis. By David T.Moore. At The Center Of The Storm: The CIA During America\u27s Time of Crisis. By George Tenet with Bill Harlow. Female Suicide Bombers. By Rosemarie Skaine. Information Operations: Doctrine and Practice. By Christopher Paul. The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency. By Matthew M. Aid. The Blood of Lambs: A Former Terrorist\u27s Memoir of Death and Redemption. By Kamal Saleem with Lynn Vincent. Attaché Extraordinaire: Vernon A. Walters in Brazil. By Frank Márcio De Oliveira

The differential regulation of Lck kinase phosphorylation sites by CD45 is critical for T cell receptor signaling responses

SummaryThe molecular mechanisms whereby the CD45 tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) regulates T cell receptor (TCR) signaling responses remain to be elucidated. To investigate this question, we have reconstituted CD45 (encoded by Ptprc)-deficient mice, which display severe defects in thymic development, with five different expression levels of transgenic CD45RO, or with mutant PTPase null or PTPase-low CD45R0. Whereas CD45 PTPase activity was absolutely required for the reconstitution of thymic development, only 3% of wild-type CD45 activity restored T cell numbers and normal cytotoxic T cell responses. Lowering the CD45 expression increased CD4 lineage commitment. Peripheral T cells with very low activity of CD45 phosphatase displayed reduced TCR signaling, whereas intermediate activity caused hyperactivation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These results are explained by a rheostat mechanism whereby CD45 differentially regulates the negatively acting pTyr-505 and positively acting pTyr-394 p56lck tyrosine kinase phosphorylation sites. We propose that high wild-type CD45 expression is necessary to dephosphorylate p56lck pTyr-394, suppressing CD4 T+ cell lineage commitment and hyperactivity

Book Reviews

Critical Thinking and Intelligence Analysis. By David T.Moore. At The Center Of The Storm: The CIA During America's Time of Crisis. By George Tenet with Bill Harlow. Female Suicide Bombers. By Rosemarie Skaine. Information Operations: Doctrine and Practice. By Christopher Paul. The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency. By Matthew M. Aid. The Blood of Lambs: A Former Terrorist's Memoir of Death and Redemption. By Kamal Saleem with Lynn Vincent. Attaché Extraordinaire: Vernon A. Walters in Brazil. By Frank Márcio De Oliveira

Homology-Dependent Silencing by an Exogenous Sequence in the Drosophila Germline

The study of P transposable element repression in Drosophila melanogaster led to the discovery of the trans-silencing effect (TSE), a homology-dependent repression mechanism by which a P-transgene inserted in subtelomeric heterochromatin (Telomeric Associated Sequences) represses in trans, in the female germline, a homologous P-lacZ transgene inserted in euchromatin. TSE shows variegation in ovaries and displays a maternal effect as well as epigenetic transmission through meiosis. In addition, TSE is highly sensitive to mutations affecting heterochromatin components (including HP1) and the Piwi-interacting RNA silencing pathway (piRNA), a homology-dependent silencing mechanism that functions in the germline. TSE appears thus to involve the piRNA-based silencing proposed to play a major role in P repression. Under this hypothesis, TSE may also be established when homology between the telomeric and target loci involves sequences other than P elements, including sequences exogenous to the D. melanogaster genome. We have tested whether TSE can be induced via lacZ sequence homology. We generated a piggyBac-otu-lacZ transgene in which lacZ is under the control of the germline ovarian tumor promoter, resulting in strong expression in nurse cells and the oocyte. We show that all piggyBac-otu-lacZ transgene insertions are strongly repressed by maternally inherited telomeric P-lacZ transgenes. This repression shows variegation between egg chambers when it is incomplete and presents a maternal effect, two of the signatures of TSE. Finally, this repression is sensitive to mutations affecting aubergine, a key player of the piRNA pathway. These data show that TSE can occur when silencer and target loci share solely a sequence exogenous to the D. melanogaster genome. This functionally supports the hypothesis that TSE represents a general repression mechanism which can be co-opted by new transposable elements to regulate their activity after a transfer to the D. melanogaster genome

Eccentric Viewing Training for Age-Related Macular Disease: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial (the EFFECT Study)

PURPOSE: Eccentric viewing training for macular disease has been performed for > 40 years, but no large studies including control groups have assessed the benefits of this training. The EFFECT (Eccentric Fixation From Enhanced Clinical Training) study is a large randomized controlled trial of 2 types of eccentric viewing training. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred adults with age-related macular disease. METHODS: Participants were randomized to either of the following: (1) a control group; (2) a group receiving supervised reading support; (3) a group receiving 3 sessions of training to optimize the use of their own preferred retinal locus; or (4) a group receiving 3 sessions of biofeedback training of a theoretically optimal trained retinal locus. All participants received standard low-vision rehabilitation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was patient-reported visual task ability measured on the Activity Inventory instrument at goal level. Secondary outcomes included reading performance and fixation stability. RESULTS: There was no difference between groups on change in task ability (F(3,174) = 1.48, P = 0.22) or on any of the secondary outcome measures. Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity fell in all groups, suggesting that disease progression outweighed any benefit of training. CONCLUSIONS: Eccentric viewing training did not systematically improve task ability, reading performance, or fixation stability in this study. Our results do not support the routine use of eccentric viewing training for people with progressing age-related macular disease, although this training may help people with end-stage disease. Rehabilitation of an inherently progressive condition is challenging. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article

Blithewold Mansion: A Vision for the Visitors Center

The Visitor Center is one of the most important programmatic elements of the estate. The building tends to get overlooked due to its small size and unclear signage. It currently houses a ticket booth, an information center and a gift shop, but there isn’t much space leftover for employees, guests or expansion