Management of Renewable Energy for a Shared Facility Controller in Smart Grid

© 2016 IEEE. This paper proposes an energy management scheme to maximize the use of solar energy in the smart grid. In this context, a shared facility controller (SFC) with a number of solar photovoltaic panels in a smart community is considered that has the capability to schedule the generated energy for consumption and trade to other entities. In particular, a mechanism is designed for the SFC to decide on the energy surplus, if there is any, that it can use to charge its battery and sell to the households and the grid based on the offered prices. In this regard, a hierarchical energy management scheme is proposed with a view to reduce the total operational cost to the SFC. The concept of a virtual cost is introduced that aids the SFC to estimate its future operational cost based on some available current information. The energy management is conducted for three different cases, and the optimal cost to the SFC is determined for each case by the theory of maxima and minima. A real-time algorithm is proposed to reach the optimal cost for all cases, and some numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the beneficial properties of the proposed scheme

Urban wastewater: A valuable resource for agriculture - A case study from Haroonabad, Pakistan

Waste waters / Irrigation water / Water reuse / Economic analysis / Soil properties / Households / Water availability / Water use / Water quality / Groundwater / Public health / Risks / Case studies

Multiple uses of irrigation water in the Hakra 6-R, Distributary Command Area, Punjab, Pakistan

Irrigation canals / Distributary canals / Water allocation / Water use / Households / Livestock / Water quality / Water pollution / Waterborne diseases / Health / Water rates / Women / Gender / Fish farming / Pakistan / Punjab / Haroonabad / Tehsil / Hakra 6-R Distributary

Influence of edaphic properties in determining forest community patterns of the Zabarwan Mountain Range in the Kashmir Himalayas

The significance of edaphic factors in describing forest vegetation patterns is becoming more well acknowledged, with significant implications for the description of biogeographical regions and biome classification, as well as abundance and growth patterns at regional levels. The current study examines the vegetation association in the Zabarwan mountain range of the Western Himalayas and its association with edaphic factors. To collect data on forest types, we employed a systematic random sampling strategy in 60 plots (0.1 ha) across five forest types. We investigated data using ordination and cluster analysis approaches after calculating the important value index (henceforth IVI) for each plant species and edaphic data from forests. In total, 76 plant species from 39 different families were found in the area. The Rosaceae family was the most numerous, followed by Fabaceae and Asteraceae. Scrub forest types have lower diversity indices, while broad-leaved forest types have greater diversity indices. Two-way cluster analyses classified the forest vegetation of the Zabarwan mountain range into two plant communities on the basis of indicator plant species. The ordination analysis (canonical correspondence analysis) indicated that vegetation association tended to be influenced differently by distinct levels of soil parameters. The soil pH and calcium content were the main factors influencing the species distribution in the different forest types. The phytosociological features (basal area) were higher in coniferous forest type (74.49 m2ha−1) compared to broad-leaved (58.63 m2ha−1) and scrub forest type (15.4 m2ha−1). Overall, the goal of this research is to gain a better understanding of the impact of soil elements on forest composition and associations in order to develop scientifically based management options for forest ecosystem protection in the Himalayan region

A novel insertion mutation in the cartilage-derived morphogenetic protein-1 (CDMP1) gene underlies Grebe-type chondrodysplasia in a consanguineous Pakistani family

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Grebe-type chondrodysplasia (GCD) is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by severe acromesomelic limb shortness with non-functional knob like fingers resembling toes. Mutations in the cartilage-derived morphogenetic protein 1 (<it>CDMP1</it>) gene cause Grebe-type chondrodysplasia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Genotyping of six members of a Pakistani family with Grebe-type chondrodysplasia, including two affected and four unaffected individuals, was carried out by using polymorphic microsatellite markers, which are closely linked to <it>CDMP1 </it>locus on chromosome 20q11.22. To screen for a mutation in <it>CDMP1 </it>gene, all of its coding exons and splice junction sites were PCR amplified from genomic DNA of affected and unaffected individuals of the family and sequenced directly in an ABI Prism 310 automated DNA sequencer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genotyping results showed linkage of the family to <it>CDMP1 </it>locus. Sequence analysis of the <it>CDMP1 </it>gene identified a novel four bases insertion mutation (1114insGAGT) in exon 2 of the gene causing frameshift and premature termination of the polypeptide.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We describe a 4 bp novel insertion mutation in <it>CDMP1 </it>gene in a Pakistani family with Grebe-type chondrodysplasia. Our findings extend the body of evidence that supports the importance of <it>CDMP1 </it>in the development of limbs.</p

Spectrally reconfigurable quantum emitters enabled by optimized fast modulation

The ability to shape photon emission facilitates strong photon-mediated interactions between disparate physical systems, thereby enabling applications in quantum information processing, simulation and communication. Spectral control in solid state platforms such as color centers, rare earth ions, and quantum dots is particularly attractive for realizing such applications on-chip. Here we propose the use of frequency-modulated optical transitions for spectral engineering of single photon emission. Using a scattering-matrix formalism, we find that a two-level system, when modulated faster than its optical lifetime, can be treated as a single-photon source with a widely reconfigurable photon spectrum that is amenable to standard numerical optimization techniques. To enable the experimental demonstration of this spectral control scheme, we investigate the Stark tuning properties of the silicon vacancy in silicon carbide, a color center with promise for optical quantum information processing technologies. We find that the silicon vacancy possesses excellent spectral stability and tuning characteristics, allowing us to probe its fast modulation regime, observe the theoretically-predicted two-photon correlations, and demonstrate spectral engineering. Our results suggest that frequency modulation is a powerful technique for the generation of new light states with unprecedented control over the spectral and temporal properties of single photons.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures; Supplementary Informatio

Ovine pedomics : the first study of the ovine foot 16S rRNA-based microbiome

We report the first study of the bacterial microbiome of ovine interdigital skin based on 16S rRNA by pyrosequencing and conventional cloning with Sanger-sequencing. Three flocks were selected, one a flock with no signs of footrot or interdigital dermatitis, a second flock with interdigital dermatitis alone and a third flock with both interdigital dermatitis and footrot. The sheep were classified as having either healthy interdigital skin (H), interdigital dermatitis (ID) or virulent footrot (VFR). The ovine interdigital skin bacterial community varied significantly by flock and clinical condition. The diversity and richness of operational taxonomic units was greater in tissue from sheep with ID than H or VFR affected sheep. Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla comprising 25 genera. Peptostreptococcus, Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus were associated with H, ID and VFR respectively. Sequences of Dichelobacter nodosus, the causal agent of ovine footrot, were not amplified due to mismatches in the 16S rRNA universal forward primer (27F). A specific real time PCR assay was used to demonstrate the presence of D. nodosus which was detected in all samples including the flock with no signs of ID or VFR. Sheep with ID had significantly higher numbers of D. nodosus (104-109 cells/g tissue) than those with H or VFR feet

A global reference database of crowdsourced cropland data collected using the Geo-Wiki platform

A global reference data set on cropland was collected through a crowdsourcing campaign using the Geo-Wiki crowdsourcing tool. The campaign lasted three weeks, with over 80 participants from around the world reviewing almost 36,000 sample units, focussing on cropland identification. For quality assessment purposes, two additional data sets are provided. The first is a control set of 1,793 sample locations validated by students trained in satellite image interpretation. This data set was used to assess the quality of the crowd as the campaign progressed. The second data set contains 60 expert validations for additional evaluation of the quality of the contributions. All data sets are split into two parts: the first part shows all areas classified as cropland and the second part shows cropland average per location and user. After further processing, the data presented here might be suitable to validate and compare medium and high resolution cropland maps generated using remote sensing. These could also be used to train classification algorithms for developing new maps of land cover and cropland extent