Criteria of morphometric analysis of a daily load profile

Analysis of electrical loads is crucial for a proper operation and control of electrical energy sources and planning and design of electrical power systems in terms of optimum capacity of the electricity generation. A typical daily load profile significantly varies over the 24‐hour day and requires levelling actions which can be advised from the detailed analysis of the profile. This paper discusses the principles and implementation of morphometric analysis for a daily load profile evaluation using three criteria: roundness, compactness, and elongation. In order to conduct the morphometric analysis, the daily load profile represented as a time series has to be converted into a polygon of a particular form in a radar chart. The criteria for the profile analysis are based on geometrical interpretation of the shape of the polygon. The criterion roundness assesses the maximum and minimum loads of the profile and are related to the ratio of the inner circle of the polygon to the outer circle. The criterion compactness is based on the polygon perimeter and its inner area. The criterion elongation is defined as a relationship between the length of perpendicular to main axis of the polygon and the length of the main axis. The examples of the load profiles represented as a regular polygon and the case study have been used to demonstrate implementation of the analysis using the roundness, compactness, and elongation. It has been shown that the analysis using the morphometric criteria can be effectively applied for the detailed assessment of the load profiles

Max-plus algebra in the history of discrete event systems

This paper is a survey of the history of max-plus algebra and its role in the field of discrete event systems during the last three decades. It is based on the perspective of the authors but it covers a large variety of topics, where max-plus algebra plays a key role

Homogeneity estimation morphometric model for particle distribution on example of SiC deposited on multilayer structure Fe/NiP

The theoretical justification of the distribution for particles/defects homogeneity estimation criterion was done. The mathematical model was created on this basis and its object-oriented implementation was realized. It is shown that the use of object-oriented programming allows getting a sufficient clearness and simplicity of an object’s general mathematical model, displaying in it as the object properties so and methods by which the model can operate. Adequacy of the proposed model and research method was verified experimentally on samples of silicon carbide SiC deposited on the multilayer structure of Fe/NiP.Здійснено теоретичне обґрунтування критерію для оцінки гомогенності розподілу часток/дефектів. На його основі створена математична модель і побудована її об’єктно-орієнтована реалізація. Показано, що використання об’єктно-орієнтованого програмування дозволяє з достатньою наочністю і простотою створити загальну математичну модель об’єкта, відобразивши в ній як властивості самого об’єкта, так і методи, якими він може оперувати. Адекватність запропонованої моделі та методу дослідження була перевірена експериментально на зразках карбіду кремнію SiC депонованого на багатошарову структуру Fe/NiP.Осуществлено теоретическое обоснование критерия для оценки гомогенности распределения частиц/дефектов. На его основе создана математическая модель и построена ее объектно-ориентированная реализация. Показано, что использование объектно-ориентированного программирования разрешает с достаточной наглядностью и простотой создать общую математическую модель объекта, отобразив в ней как свойства самого объекта, так и методы, которыми он может оперировать. Адекватность предложенной модели и метода исследования была проверена экспериментально на образцах карбида кремния SiC депонированного на многослойную структуру Fe/NiP

An Automated Visual Inspection System for the Classification of the Phases of Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy

Metallography is the science of studying the physical properties of metal microstructures, by means of microscopes. While traditional approaches involve the direct observation of the acquired images by human experts, Com-puter Vision techniques may help experts in the analysis of the inspected mate-rials. In this paper we present an automated system to classify the phases of a Titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. Our system has been tested to analyze the final products of a Friction Stir Welding process, to study the states of the micro-structures of the welded material

The Hetero-Hexameric Nature of a Chloroplast AAA+ FtsH Protease Contributes to Its Thermodynamic Stability

FtsH is an evolutionary conserved membrane-bound metalloprotease complex. While in most prokaryotes FtsH is encoded by a single gene, multiple FtsH genes are found in eukaryotes. Genetic and biochemical data suggest that the Arabidopsis chloroplast FtsH is a hetero-hexamer. This raises the question why photosynthetic organisms require a heteromeric complex, whereas in most bacteria a homomeric one is sufficient. To gain structural information of the possible complexes, the Arabidopsis FtsH2 (type B) and FtsH5 (type A) were modeled. An in silico study with mixed models of FtsH2/5 suggests that heteromeric hexamer structure with ratio of 4∶2 is more likely to exists. Specifically, calculation of the buried surface area at the interfaces between neighboring subunits revealed that a hetero-complex should be thermodynamically more stable than a homo-hexamer, due to the presence of additional hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. To biochemically assess this model, we generated Arabidopsis transgenic plants, expressing epitope-tagged FtsH2 and immuno-purified the protein. Mass-spectrometry analysis showed that FtsH2 is associated with FtsH1, FtsH5 and FtsH8. Interestingly, we found that ‘type B’ subunits (FtsH2 and FtsH8) were 2–3 fold more abundant than ‘type A’ (FtsH1 and FtsH5). The biochemical data corroborate the in silico model and suggest that the thylakoid FtsH hexamer is composed of two ‘type A’ and four ‘type B’ subunits

Heart failure in chronic kidney disease: conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Controversies conference

The incidence and prevalence of heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are increasing, and as such a better understanding of the interface between both conditions is imperative for developing optimal strategies for their detection, prevention, diagnosis, and management. To this end, Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) convened an international, multidisciplinary Controversies Conference titled Heart Failure in CKD. Breakout group discussions included (i) HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and nondialysis CKD, (ii) HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and nondialysis CKD, (iii) HFpEF and dialysis-dependent CKD, (iv) HFrEF and dialysis-dependent CKD, and (v) HF in kidney transplant patients. The questions that formed the basis of discussions are available on the KDIGO website http://kdigo.org/conferences/heart-failure-in-ckd/, and the deliberations from the conference are summarized here

The Transcriptional Landscape of the Photosynthetic Model Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803.

Cyanobacteria exhibit a great capacity to adapt to different environmental conditions through changes in gene expression. Although this plasticity has been extensively studied in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a detailed analysis of the coordinated transcriptional adaption across varying conditions is lacking. Here, we report a meta-analysis of 756 individual microarray measurements conducted in 37 independent studies-the most comprehensive study of the Synechocystis transcriptome to date. Using stringent statistical evaluation, we characterized the coordinated adaptation of Synechocystis' gene expression on systems level. Evaluation of the data revealed that the photosynthetic apparatus is subjected to greater changes in expression than other cellular components. Nevertheless, network analyses indicated a significant degree of transcriptional coordination of photosynthesis and various metabolic processes, and revealed the tight co-regulation of components of photosystems I, II and phycobilisomes. Detailed inspection of the integrated data led to the discovery a variety of regulatory patterns and novel putative photosynthetic genes. Intriguingly, global clustering analyses suggested contrasting transcriptional response of metabolic and regulatory genes stress to conditions. The integrated Synechocystis transcriptome can be accessed and interactively analyzed via the CyanoEXpress website (http://cyanoexpress.sysbiolab.eu)

Unmanned aircraft systems as a new source of disturbance for wildlife: A systematic review.

The use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS; also known as "drones") for professional and personal-leisure use is increasing enormously. UAS operate at low altitudes (<500 m) and in any terrain, thus they are susceptible to interact with local fauna, generating a new type of anthropogenic disturbance that has not been systematically evaluated. To address this gap, we performed a review of the existent literature about animals' responses to UAS flights and conducted a pooled analysis of the data to determine the probability and intensity of the disturbance, and to identify the factors influencing animals' reactions towards the small aircraft. We found that wildlife reactions depended on both the UAS attributes (flight pattern, engine type and size of aircraft) and the characteristics of animals themselves (type of animal, life-history stage and level of aggregation). Target-oriented flight patterns, larger UAS sizes, and fuel-powered (noisier) engines evoked the strongest reactions in wildlife. Animals during the non-breeding period and in large groups were more likely to show behavioral reactions to UAS, and birds are more prone to react than other taxa. We discuss the implications of these results in the context of wildlife disturbance and suggest guidelines for conservationists, users and manufacturers to minimize the impact of UAS. In addition, we propose that the legal framework needs to be adapted so that appropriate actions can be undertaken when wildlife is negatively affected by these emergent practices