335 research outputs found
Power Quality Monitoring Integration into Distribution Automation through the Use of AMR
Power-quality events are of increasing concern for the
economy because today’s equipment, particularly computers and
automated manufacturing devices, is highly sensitive to such
imperfections. With volatile energy rates and a need to control
costs, regional agencies and utilities are interested in technologies
to meter distribution use and manage utility information.
Metering technologies and communications systems have
advanced to enable the development of Automated Meter Reading
(AMR) Systems. Power Quality is one area where the AMR
system can be very valuable. This paper investigates the
challenges in the development of distributed power-quality
monitoring system. The approach of this paper is divided into
metering, data collection, archiving, analysis, and presentation. It
also discusses system architecture, implementation, and provides
general guidelines in the tailoring of PQ indexes. This paper
describes the challenges and lessons learned from this work.
Current challenges in chronic bronchial infection in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Currently, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and their physicians face a number of significant clinical challenges, one of which is the high degree of uncertainty related to chronic bronchial infection (CBI). By reviewing the current literature, several challenges can be identified, which should be considered as goals for research. One of these is to establish the bases for identifying the biological and clinical implications of the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in the airways that should be more clearly elucidated according to the COPD phenotype. Another urgent area of research is the role of long-term preventive antibiotics. Clinical trials need to be carried out with inhaled antibiotic therapy to help clarify the profile of those antibiotics. The role of inhaled corticosteroids in patients with COPD and CBI needs to be studied to instruct the clinical management of these patients. Finally, it should be explored and confirmed whether a suitable antimicrobial treatment during exacerbations may contribute to breaking the vicious circle of CBI in COPD. The present review addresses the current state of the art in these areas to provide evidence which will enable us to progressively plan better healthcare for these patients
The role of Epstein-Barr virus in adults with bronchiectasis : A prospective cohort study
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is implicated in the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We aimed to determine whether EBV correlates with bronchiectasis severity, exacerbations, and progression. We collected induced sputum in healthy controls and spontaneous sputum at 3-6-month intervals and onset of exacerbations in bronchiectasis patients between March 2017 and October 2018. EBV DNA was detected with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We collected 442 sputum samples from 108 bronchiectasis patients and 50 induced sputum samples from 50 healthy controls. When stable, bronchiectasis patients yielded higher detection rates of EBV DNA (48.1% vs 20.0%; P =.001), but not viral loads (mean log load, 4.45 vs 4.76; P =.266), compared with controls; 64.9% of patients yielded consistent detection status between 2 consecutive stable visits. Neither detection rate (40.8% vs 48.1%; P =.393) nor load (mean log load, 4.34 vs 4.45; P =.580) differed between the onset of exacerbations and stable visits, nor between exacerbations and convalescence. Neither detection status nor viral loads correlated with bronchiectasis severity. EBV loads correlated negatively with sputum interleukin-1β (P =.002), CXC motif chemokine-8 (P =.008), and tumor necrosis factor-α levels (P =.005). Patients initially detected with, or repeatedly detected with, EBV DNA had significantly faster lung function decline and shorter time to next exacerbations (both P .05). The EBV strains detected in bronchiectasis patients were phylogenetically homologous. Patients with detection of EBV DNA have a shorter time to bronchiectasis exacerbations. EBV may contribute to bronchiectasis progression
The Relationship Between Plasma Flow Doppler Velocities and Magnetic Field Parameters During the Emergence of Active Regions at the Solar Photospheric Level
A statistical study has been carried out of the relationship between plasma
flow Doppler velocities and magnetic field parameters during the emergence of
active regions at the solar photospheric level with data acquired by the
Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
(SOHO). We have investigated 224 emerging active regions with different spatial
scales and positions on the solar disc. The following relationships for the
first hours of the emergence of active regions have been analysed: i) of peak
negative Doppler velocities with the position of the emerging active regions on
the solar disc; ii) of peak plasma upflow and downflow Doppler velocities with
the magnetic flux growth rate and magnetic field strength for the active
regions emerging near the solar disc centre (the vertical component of plasma
flows); iii) of peak positive and negative Doppler velocities with the magnetic
flux growth rate and magnetic field strength for the active regions emerging
near the limb (the horizontal component of plasma flows); iv) of the magnetic
flux growth rate with the density of emerging magnetic flux; v) of the Doppler
velocities and magnetic field parameters for the first hours of the appearance
of active regions with the total unsigned magnetic flux at the maximum of their
development.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures. The results of article were presented at the
ESPM-13 (12-16 September 2011, Rhodes, Greece, Abstract Book p. 102-103,
P.4.13,
http://astro.academyofathens.gr/espm13/documents/ESPM13_abstract_programme_book.pdf
Prediction of crop coefficients from fraction of ground cover and height. Background and validation using ground and remote sensing data
ReviewThe current study aims at reviewing and providing advances on methods for estimating and applying crop coefficients
from observations of ground cover and vegetation height. The review first focuses on the relationships between single
Kc and basal Kcb and various parameters including the fraction of ground covered by the canopy (fc), the leaf area index
(LAI), the fraction of ground shaded by the canopy (fshad), the fraction of intercepted light (flight) and intercepted
photosynthetic active radiation (fIPAR). These relationships were first studied in the 1970’s, for annual crops, and later,
in the last decennia, for tree and vine perennials. Research has now provided a variety of methods to observe and
measure fc and height (h) using both ground and remote sensing tools, which has favored the further development of Kc
related functions. In the past, these relationships were not used predictively but to support the understanding of
dynamics of Kc and Kcb in relation to the processes of evapotranspiration or transpiration, inclusive of the role of soil
evaporation. Later, the approach proposed by Allen and Pereira (2009), the A&P approach, used fc and height (h) or LAI
data to define a crop density coefficient that was used to directly estimate Kc and Kcb values for a variety of annual and
perennial crops in both research and practice. It is opportune to review the A&P method in the context of a variety of
studies that have derived Kc and Kcb values from field measured data with simultaneously observed ground cover fc and
height. Applications used to test the approach include various tree and vine crops (olive, pear, and lemon orchards and
vineyards), vegetable crops (pea, onion and tomato crops), field crops (barley, wheat, maize, sunflower, canola, cotton
and soybean crops), as well as a grassland and a Bermudagrass pasture. Comparisons of Kcb values computed with the A
&P method produced regression coefficients close to 1.0 and coefficients of determination≥0.90, except for orchards.
Results indicate that the A&P approach can produce estimates of potential Kcb, using vegetation characteristics alone,
within reasonable or acceptable error, and are useful for refining Kcb for conditions of plant spacing, size and density
that differ from standard values. The comparisons provide parameters appropriate to applications for the tested crops.
In addition, the A&P approach was applied with remotely sensed fc data for a variety of crops in California using the
Satellite Irrigation Management Support (SIMS) framework. Daily SIMS crop ET (ETc-SIMS) produced Kcb values using
the FAO56 and A&P approaches. Combination of satellite derived fc and Kcb values with ETo data from Spatial CIMIS
(California Irrigation Management Information System) produced ET estimates that were compared with daily actual
crop ET derived from energy balance calculations from micrometeorological instrumentation (ETc EB).Results produced
coefficients of regression of 1.05 for field crops and 1.08 for woody crops, and R2 values of 0.81 and 0.91, respectively.
These values suggest that daily ETc-SIMS -based ET can be accurately estimated within reasonable error and that the A&P
approach is appropriate to support that estimation. It is likely that accuracy can be improved via progress in remote
sensing determination of fc. Tabulated Kcb results and calculation parameters are presented in a companion paper in this
Special Issueinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The INCREASE project: Intelligent Collections of food‐legume genetic resources for European agrofood systems
Food legumes are crucial for all agriculture-related societal challenges, including climate change mitigation, agrobiodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, food security and human health. The transition to plant-based diets, largely based on food legumes, could present major opportunities for adaptation and mitigation, generating significant co-benefits for human health. The characterization, maintenance and exploitation of food-legume genetic resources, to date largely unexploited, form the core development of both sustainable agriculture and a healthy food system. INCREASE will implement, on chickpea (Cicer arietinum), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), lentil (Lens culinaris) and lupin (Lupinus albus and L. mutabilis), a new approach to conserve, manage and characterize genetic resources. Intelligent Collections, consisting of nested core collections composed of single-seed descent-purified accessions (i.e., inbred lines), will be developed, exploiting germplasm available both from genebanks and on-farm and subjected to different levels of genotypic and phenotypic characterization. Phenotyping and gene discovery activities will meet, via a participatory approach, the needs of various actors, including breeders, scientists, farmers and agri-food and non-food industries, exploiting also the power of massive metabolomics and transcriptomics and of artificial intelligence and smart tools. Moreover, INCREASE will test, with a citizen science experiment, an innovative system of conservation and use of genetic resources based on a decentralized approach for data management and dynamic conservation. By promoting the use of food legumes, improving their quality, adaptation and yield and boosting the competitiveness of the agriculture and food sector, the INCREASE strategy will have a major impact on economy and society and represents a case study of integrative and participatory approaches towards conservation and exploitation of crop genetic resources
Atmospheric effects on extensive air showers observed with the Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
Atmospheric parameters, such as pressure (P), temperature (T) and density,
affect the development of extensive air showers initiated by energetic cosmic
rays. We have studied the impact of atmospheric variations on extensive air
showers by means of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The
rate of events shows a ~10% seasonal modulation and ~2% diurnal one. We find
that the observed behaviour is explained by a model including the effects
associated with the variations of pressure and density. The former affects the
longitudinal development of air showers while the latter influences the Moliere
radius and hence the lateral distribution of the shower particles. The model is
validated with full simulations of extensive air showers using atmospheric
profiles measured at the site of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle
Physic
Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter
Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed
evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the
Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, \nobreak{eV}. The
anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less
than from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc
(using the V\'eron-Cetty and V\'eron catalog). An updated
measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of
cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009.
The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more
precise measurement. The correlating fraction is , compared
with expected for isotropic cosmic rays. This is down from the early
estimate of . The enlarged set of arrival directions is
examined also in relation to other populations of nearby extragalactic objects:
galaxies in the 2 Microns All Sky Survey and active galactic nuclei detected in
hard X-rays by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A celestial region around the
position of the radiogalaxy Cen A has the largest excess of arrival directions
relative to isotropic expectations. The 2-point autocorrelation function is
shown for the enlarged set of arrival directions and compared to the isotropic
expectation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics on 31 August 201
The exposure of the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is a detector for ultra-high energy cosmic rays.
It consists of a surface array to measure secondary particles at ground level
and a fluorescence detector to measure the development of air showers in the
atmosphere above the array. The "hybrid" detection mode combines the
information from the two subsystems. We describe the determination of the
hybrid exposure for events observed by the fluorescence telescopes in
coincidence with at least one water-Cherenkov detector of the surface array. A
detailed knowledge of the time dependence of the detection operations is
crucial for an accurate evaluation of the exposure. We discuss the relevance of
monitoring data collected during operations, such as the status of the
fluorescence detector, background light and atmospheric conditions, that are
used in both simulation and reconstruction.Comment: Paper accepted by Astroparticle Physic
The Fluorescence Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector for ultra-high energy
cosmic rays. It combines a surface array to measure secondary particles at
ground level together with a fluorescence detector to measure the development
of air showers in the atmosphere above the array. The fluorescence detector
comprises 24 large telescopes specialized for measuring the nitrogen
fluorescence caused by charged particles of cosmic ray air showers. In this
paper we describe the components of the fluorescence detector including its
optical system, the design of the camera, the electronics, and the systems for
relative and absolute calibration. We also discuss the operation and the
monitoring of the detector. Finally, we evaluate the detector performance and
precision of shower reconstructions.Comment: 53 pages. Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics
Research Section
- …