An IoT-based energy management system for AC microgrids with grid and security constraints

This paper proposes an Internet-of-Things (IoT) based energy management system (EMS) for the optimal operation of unbalanced three-phase AC microgrids. The system utilizes a software architecture based on microservices, which includes a stochastic economic dispatch optimizer (EDO), a database, a web-based graphical user interface (GUI), and an application programming interface (API). The EDO uses a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to ensure the day-ahead dispatch of the distributed energy resources (DERs) in the microgrid while adhering to grid constraints such as voltage, current, and power limits. Additionally, the optimization module takes into account security constraints for unplanned islanded operation, as well as stochastic scenarios of local demand and renewable generation. To assess the performance of the proposed IoT-based EMS, tests are conducted using a real-time simulator in a software-in-the-loop (SIL) experimental setup. Actual data from a microgrid located at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil is utilized for the tests. The microgrid consisted of a photovoltaic (PV) system, a battery energy storage system (BESS), a thermal generation unit, and variable demands. Results indicated the effectiveness of the proposed IoT-based EMS in monitoring the operation of the microgrid and defining the optimal day-ahead dispatch of local DERs.</p

Scintillation efficiency of liquid xenon for nuclear recoils with the energy down to 5 keV

The scintillation efficiency of liquid xenon for nuclear recoils has been measured to be nearly constant in the recoil energy range from 140 keV down to 5 keV. The average ratio of the efficiency for recoils to that for gamma-rays is found to be 0.19+-0.02.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Clinical correlation between N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide and angiographic coronary atherosclerosis

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the clinical correlation between angiographic coronary atherosclerosis and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide along with other known correlated factors. METHODS: In total, 153 patients with a diagnostic hypothesis of stable angina, unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction were classified as group A (patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries) or group B (patients with angiographic coronary atherosclerosis). The two groups were analyzed with respect to the following factors: gender, age, body mass index, abdominal circumference, smoking, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, early family history of atherosclerosis, statin use, the presence of metabolic syndrome, clinical presentation and biochemical factors, including cholesterol, creatinine and fibrinogen plasma concentrations, monocyte counts and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide. RESULTS: Univariate analyses comparing the two groups revealed that group B patients more frequently had diabetes, used statins and had systolic dysfunction, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels ≥250 pg/mL, fibrinogen levels >;500 mg/dL and ≥501 monocytes/mm3 compared with group A patients (

Oral treatment with Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain UFMG 905 modulates immune responses and interferes with signal pathways involved in the activation of inflammation in a murine model of typhoid fever

AbstractSalmonella spp. are Gram-negative, facultative, intracellular pathogens that cause several diarrheal diseases ranging from self-limiting gastroenteritis to typhoid fever. Previous results from our laboratory showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain UFMG 905 isolated from ‘cachaça’ production presented probiotic properties due to its ability to protect against experimental infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. In this study, the effects of oral treatment with S. cerevisiae 905 were evaluated at the immunological level in a murine model of typhoid fever. Treatment with S. cerevisiae 905 inhibited weight loss and increased survival rate after Salmonella challenge. Immunological data demonstrated that S. cerevisiae 905 decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and modulated the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 and JNK, but not ERK1/2), NF-κB and AP-1, signaling pathways which are involved in the transcriptional activation of proinflammatory mediators. Experiments in germ-free mice revealed that probiotic effects were due, at least in part, to the binding of Salmonella to the yeast. In conclusion, S. cerevisiae 905 acts as a potential new biotherapy against S. Typhimurium infection due to its ability to bind bacteria and modulate signaling pathways involved in the activation of inflammation in a murine model of typhoid fever

Dynamical Breakdown of Symmetry in a (2+1) Dimensional Model Containing the Chern-Simons Field

We study the vacuum stability of a model of massless scalar and fermionic fields minimally coupled to a Chern-Simons field. The classical Lagrangian only involves dimensionless parameters, and the model can be thought as a (2+1) dimensional analog of the Coleman-Weinberg model. By calculating the effective potential, we show that dynamical symmetry breakdown occurs in the two-loop approximation. The vacuum becomes asymmetric and mass generation, for the boson and fermion fields takes place. Renormalization group arguments are used to clarify some aspects of the solution.Comment: Minor modifications in the text and figure

Chiral phase boundary of QCD at finite temperature

We analyze the approach to chiral symmetry breaking in QCD at finite temperature, using the functional renormalization group. We compute the running gauge coupling in QCD for all temperatures and scales within a simple truncated renormalization flow. At finite temperature, the coupling is governed by a fixed point of the 3-dimensional theory for scales smaller than the corresponding temperature. Chiral symmetry breaking is approached if the running coupling drives the quark sector to criticality. We quantitatively determine the phase boundary in the plane of temperature and number of flavors and find good agreement with lattice results. As a generic and testable prediction, we observe that our underlying IR fixed-point scenario leaves its imprint in the shape of the phase boundary near the critical flavor number: here, the scaling of the critical temperature is determined by the zero-temperature IR critical exponent of the running coupling.Comment: 39 pages, 8 figure

The role of apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase, Lnt, in the lipidation of factor H binding protein of Neisseria meningitidis strain MC58 and its potential as a drug target

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The level of cell surface expression of the meningococcal vaccine antigen, Factor H binding protein (FHbp) varies between and within strains and this limits the breadth of strains that can be targeted by FHbp-based vaccines. The molecular pathway controlling expression of FHbp at the cell surface, including its lipidation, sorting to the outer membrane and export, and the potential regulation of this pathway have not been investigated until now. This knowledge will aid our evaluation of FHbp vaccines. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH A meningococcal transposon library was screened by whole cell immuno-dot blotting using an anti-FHbp antibody to identify a mutant with reduced binding and the disrupted gene was determined. KEY RESULTS In a mutant with markedly reduced binding, the transposon was located in the lnt gene which encodes apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase, Lnt, responsible for the addition of the third fatty acid to apolipoproteins prior to their sorting to the outer membrane. We provide data indicating that in the Lnt mutant, FHbp is diacylated and its expression within the cell is reduced 10 fold, partly due to inhibition of transcription. Furthermore the Lnt mutant showed 64 fold and 16 fold increase in susceptibility to rifampicin and ciprofloxacin respectively. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS We speculate that the inefficient sorting of diacylated FHbp in the meningococcus results in its accumulation in the periplasm inducing an envelope stress response to down-regulate its expression. We propose Lnt as a potential novel drug target for combination therapy with antibiotics

Haematological and biochemical parameters in Churra-da-Terra-Quente ewes from the northeast of Portugal

Hematological and biochemical parameters, including plasma electrolytes and thyroid hormones, were determined in 73 clinically healthy Churra-da-Terra-Quente ewes, a typical breed from the northeast of Portugal. The hemogram values were: erythrocytes 9.8±1.51012/L; haemoglobin 118.1±19.1g/L; haematocrit 40.8±5.9%; leukocytes 5.7±1.8109/L; and platelets 544.3±177.2109/L. The thrombin time was 17.3±1.7 seconds. The values of biochemical parameters were: total protein 76.4±6.1g/L; glucose 2.87±0.60mmol/L; total cholesterol 1.65±0.33mmol/L; aspartate aminotransferase 155.9±49.2U/L; alanine aminotransferase 23.2±9.6U/L; γ-glutamyl transferase 48.0±18.7U/L; total alkaline phosphatase 121.6±76.1U/L; glutamate dehydrogenase 6.4±3.7U/L; urea 7.32±2.22mmol/L; creatinine 123.0±54.1μmol/L; total calcium 2.53±0.25mmol/L; phosphorus 2.10±0.46mmol/L; magnesium 1.01±0.09mmol/L; sodium 152.04±3.65mmol/L; potassium 4.7±0.4mmol/L; ionized calcium 1.32±0.07mmol/L; total thyroxine 111.75±42.29nmol/L; total triiodothyronine 1.01±0.28nmol/L; free T4 11.93±1.78pmol/L; free T3 4.22±1.33pmol/L; and thyroid-stimulating hormone 0.18±0.19μIU/mL. Although differences among the Churra-da-Terra-Quente breed and other breeds may occur, the hematological and biochemical parameters, plasma electrolytes, and thyroid hormones, for this indigenous breed, were generally situated within the reference intervals previously reported for sheep

Olive phenology as a sensitive indicator of future climatic warming in the Mediterranean

Experimental and modelling work suggests a strong dependence of olive flowering date on spring temperatures. Since airborne pollen concentrations reflect the flowering phenology of olive populations within a radius of 50 km, they may be a sensitive regional indicator of climatic warming. We assessed this potential sensitivity with phenology models fitted to flowering dates inferred from maximum airborne pollen data. Of four models tested, a thermal time model gave the best fit for Montpellier, France, and was the most effective at the regional scale, providing reasonable predictions for 10 sites in the western Mediterranean. This model was forced with replicated future temperature simulations for the western Mediterranean from a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). The GCM temperatures rose by 4·5 °C between 1990 and 2099 with a 1% per year increase in greenhouse gases, and modelled flowering date advanced at a rate of 6·2 d per °C. The results indicated that this long-term regional trend in phenology might be statistically significant as early as 2030, but with marked spatial variation in magnitude, with the calculated flowering date between the 1990s and 2030s advancing by 3–23 d. Future monitoring of airborne olive pollen may therefore provide an early biological indicator of climatic warming in the Mediterranean