The End of the Nobel Era and the Reconstruction of the World Republic of Letters

In their article The End of the Nobel Era and the Reconstruction of the World Republic of Letters Guohua Zhu and Yonghua Tang critically examine mechanisms of cultural hegemony associated with the Nobel Prize in Literature from a neocolonial lens. Borrowing from Casanova\u27s idea of the World Republic of Letters and its attentiveness to geopolitics, the essay proceeds to reconstruct the dialectical relations between the nation and the world. It does so, in the first place, by documenting and analyzing the process of negotiation and bargaining entailed in the construction of global cultural hegemony and thereby examine the functions and boundaries of hegemony. Further, it reveals how colonial apparatuses of understanding continue to limit the ways in which we imagine the world and sustain the power relations that ought to be questioned, challenged, and broken. Ultimately, the essay aims to provide a multi-dimensional and multi-layered vision of the World Republic of Letters that is genuinely multi-polar

The Evaluation method of HVAC System’s operation performance based on Energy Flow Analysis and DEA

An energy flow model of an airport terminal’s HVAC system is established in this paper. Based on energy flow model, the exergy efficiency, exergy loss and exergy cost distribution ratio of each component are calculated and analyzed by the energy flow model. Optimization method and exergy balance equations are used to calculate the least exergy loss of HVAC system under certain operation condition, which is defined as the near-optimum operation level. DEA method is then applied to obtain the benchmarking frontier of near-optimum operation levels, and the frontier will illustrate the ideal operation level under overall operation conditions. In order to measure the gap between actual operation level and ideal operation level, a new index—control perfect index (CPI) is defined by the ratio between the actual exergy loss and exergy loss of ideal operation level of HVAC system, and it can reflect control influences on operation performance of HVAC system. Thus, a new evaluation method is presented which regards ideal operation level as the benchmark and uses CPI to evaluate actual operation performance of HVAC system. Two kinds of control strategies, optimal supply air temperature reset strategy (SAT Strategy) and optimal load allocation control strategy are implemented to validate this evaluation method. Test’s results show that optimal load allocation control strategy can improve the operation performance of the system more greatly than the SAT Strategy. This evaluation method not only can evaluate the operation performance of HVAC system, but also can indicate the direction of optimal control of HVAC system

An energy-saving control strategy for VRF and VAV combined air conditioning system in heating mode

Although variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems have become attractive due to good energy performances in part load conditions, the shortcoming of no outdoor air intake has not been solved thoroughly. A VRF and VAV combined air conditioning system is proposed to solve this problem. VAV part of the combined system consists of an outdoor air processing (OAP) unit and VAV boxes. Generally the VRF unit operates to maintain indoor temperature and the OAP unit operates to process the outdoor air. A control strategy for the combined system aiming at reducing energy consumption is presented in this paper. When both VRF unit and OAP unit are operating, a load allocation optimization module is executed to find the best load allocation between them to minimize the energy consumption of the combined system. When the allocated load of the OAP unit is very small, the proposed control strategy stops the OAP unit, leaving only the VRF unit to operate to improve the overall energy efficiency of the combined system. When load requirements are met, the OAP unit is restarted and the load allocation optimization module is executed again. The proposed control strategy is evaluated based on the developed simulation platform. Results show that the proposed control strategy can effectively decrease the energy consumption of the combined system

Integrated Platform for Whole Building HVAC System Automation and Simulation

Integrated optimal control strategies can reduce the overall building HVAC system energy consumption as well as improved air quality resulting in improved health and cognitive function for the occupants. However, it is time consuming to quantitatively evaluate the design-intended building HVAC automation system performance before on-site deployment, because: 1) the building and HVAC system design specs are in 2D or 3D drawings that require significant efforts to develop the system steady state or dynamic models based on them; 2) the building HVAC control strategies are designed and implemented in building automation (BA) system that could not smoothly connect with the building HVAC system steady state or dynamic models for performance evaluation through close-loop simulation. This paper presents the tool chain of an integrated simulation platform for building HVAC system automation and simulation as well as its implementation in a real case. First, building information from a Revit BIM model is automatically parsed to an EnergyPlus building energy model. Second, the HVAC system model is quickly populated with a scalable HVAC system library in Dymola. Third, the HVAC controls are developed in WebCTRL, a building HVAC automation system by Automated Logic Corporation (ALC). Finally, both the building energy model and HVAC system model are wrapped up as Functional Mock-up Units (FMU) and connected with embedded simulator in WebCTRL to perform close-loop building automation system performance simulation. A real case study, a chiller plant system in a hotel building, is conducted to verify the scalability and benefit of the developed tool chain. The case study demonstrates the values in identifying both HVAC automation system design-intended control issues and improvement areas for integrated optimal controls. This platform enables testing of building HVAC control strategies before on-site deployment, which reduces the labor and time required for building HVAC control development-to-market process and ensure the delivering quality. Furthermore, this platform can be calibrated with metered real-time data from the specific building HVAC system and serve as its “digital twin” that empowers the system fault detection, diagnostics and predictive maintenance

«Один пояс, один путь» в системе глобального управления: парадоксы перестройки инициативы

Involvement in the project of foreign experts on the "One Belt, One Road" initiative of the Renmin University of China has provided an opportunity to comprehend how and for what purpose information is formed on the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as the role of the mass media in the formation of a positive image of the proposed initiative. The study deals with the information component of the initiative of the People's Republic of China in the framework of the vector focused on the Russian Federation. More than five years have passed since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in Astana, Kazakhstan a new Chinese initiative called "One Belt, One Road". From the reports of various Chinese agencies, it follows that the initiative of the People's Republic of China is quite successfully implemented in all areas. The forums held in Beijing in 2018 and 2019 showed that the main emphasis was made on the image component of the "One Belt, One Road" concept, which was a demonstration of the increased role of China as an independent center of power. According to some Chinese scientists, China no longer denies its desire to become a leader in the current world order. Moreover, while until recently China has been limited to economic domination, today its influence extends into the (geo) political sphere.La participación en el proyecto de expertos extranjeros en la iniciativa "One Belt, One Road" de la Universidad Renmin de China ha brindado la oportunidad de comprender cómo y para qué propósito se forma la información por iniciativa del presidente chino Xi Jinping, así como papel de los medios de comunicación en la formación de una imagen positiva de la iniciativa propuesta. El estudio aborda el componente de información de la iniciativa de la República Popular de China en el marco del vector centrado en la Federación de Rusia. Han pasado más de cinco años desde que el presidente chino, Xi Jinping, anunció en Astana, Kazajstán, una nueva iniciativa china llamada "One Belt, One Road". De los informes de varias agencias chinas, se deduce que la iniciativa de la República Popular de China se implementa con bastante éxito en todas las áreas. Los foros celebrados en Beijing en 2018 y 2019 mostraron que el énfasis principal se hizo en el componente de imagen del concepto "One Belt, One Road", que era una demostración del mayor papel de China como un centro de poder independiente. Según algunos científicos chinos, China ya no niega su deseo de convertirse en un líder en el orden mundial actual. Además, aunque hasta hace poco China se había limitado a la dominación económica, hoy su influencia se extiende a la esfera (geo) políticaРабота в проекте иностранных экспертов инициативы «Один пояс, один путь» Renmin University of Chinа предоставила возможность понять, как и с какой целью формируется информация по инициативе Председателя КНР Си Цзиньпина, роль СМИ в формировании позитивного имиджа инициативы. Исследование посвящено информационной составляющей инициативы Китайской Народной республики по вектору, направленному в сторону Российской Федерации. Прошло более пяти лет, как председатель КНР Си Цзиньпин, в Казахстанской Астане, огласил новую китайскую инициативу, получившую название «Один пояс, один путь». Из отчетов различных китайских ведомств, следует что инициатива Китайской Народной республики достаточно успешно реализуется на всех ее направлениях. Проведенные Форумы в Пекине в 2018 и 2019 годах показали, что основной упор делался на имиджевую составляющую концепции «Один пояс, один путь» - демонстрацию возросшей роли Китая как самостоятельного «Центра силы». По мнению некоторых китайских ученых, Китай уже не отрицает своего стремления стать лидером в нынешнем мировом порядке. Причем, если до последнего времени Китай ограничивался экономическим господством, то сегодня его влияние перетекает и в (гео)политическую сферу

Researching Dynamic Brand Competitiveness Based on Consumer Clicking Behavior

Analyzing brand dynamic competition relationship by using consumer sequential online click data, which was collected from JD.com. It is found that the competition intensity of the products across categories is quite different. Owing to the purchasing time of durable-like goods is more flexible, that is, the purchasing probability of such products changes more obviously over time. Therefore, we use the Local Polynomial Regression Model to analyze the relationship between the brand competition of durable-like goods and the purchasing probability of the specific brand. Finding that when brands increase at a half of the total market share for consumers cognition preference, the brands’ competitiveness is peak and makes no significant different from one hundred percent for consumer to complete a transaction. The findings contribute to brand competitiveness for setting up marketing strategy from the dynamic and online consumer behavior’s perspective

An Optimal Method For Product Selection By Using Online Ratings And Considering Search Costs

With the collecting and publishing data about consumers purchasing and browsing products at the platform of online, this data prodives new ways to better understand the consumers search behavior before purchase. How to base on consumers online search behavior and simutaneously consider offline experience costs is worth studying. An optimal method based on the utility of the attribute of product is proposed. The proposed method follows steps below. Firstly, based on the multi-attribute utility theory, the overall utility of product is calculated by using ratings data. Secondly, the overall utility is combined into the original sequential search model to find the optimal selection strategy. Thirdly, the candidate product sets arranged in descending order of the reservation utilities are finally obtained. Finally, taking the online ratings data provided by a comprehensive automobile website as an example, lastly the proposed method is simulated and compared with other method. The result shows that the proposed method is feasible and effective

Amplification and adaptation of centromeric repeats in polyploid switchgrass species.

Centromeres in most higher eukaryotes are composed of long arrays of satellite repeats from a single satellite repeat family. Why centromeres are dominated by a single satellite repeat and how the satellite repeats originate and evolve are among the most intriguing and long-standing questions in centromere biology. We identified eight satellite repeats in the centromeres of tetraploid switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Seven repeats showed characteristics associated with classical centromeric repeats with monomeric lengths ranging from 166 to 187 bp. Interestingly, these repeats share an 80-bp DNA motif. We demonstrate that this 80-bp motif may dictate translational and rotational phasing of the centromeric repeats with the cenH3 nucleosomes. The sequence of the last centromeric repeat, Pv156, is identical to the 5S ribosomal RNA genes. We demonstrate that a 5S ribosomal RNA gene array was recruited to be the functional centromere for one of the switchgrass chromosomes. Our findings reveal that certain types of satellite repeats, which are associated with unique sequence features and are composed of monomers in mono-nucleosomal length, are favorable for centromeres. Centromeric repeats may undergo dynamic amplification and adaptation before the centromeres in the same species become dominated by the best adapted satellite repeat

Heat Stress in Legume Seed Setting: Effects, Causes, and Future Prospects

Grain legumes provide a rich resource of plant nutrition to human diets and are vital for food security and sustainable cropping. Heat stress during flowering has a detrimental effect on legume seed yield, mainly due to irreversible loss of seed number. To start with, we provide an overview of the developmental and physiological basis of controlling seed setting in response to heat stress. It is shown that every single process of seed setting including male and female gametophyte development, fertilization, and early seed/fruit development is sensitive to heat stress, in particular male reproductive development in legume crops is especially susceptible. A series of physiochemical processes including heat shock proteins, antioxidants, metabolites, and hormones centered with sugar starvation are proposed to play a key role in regulating legume seed setting in response to heat stress. The exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying reproductive heat tolerance is in its infancy. Medicago truncatula, with a small diploid genome, and well-established transformation system and molecular platforms, has become a valuable model for testing gene function that can be applied to advance the physiological and molecular understanding of legume reproductive heat tolerance.The work is supported by National Key R & D Program of China (No. 2017YFD0301307 and 2017YFD0300204-3) and Anhui Agricultural University startup funds for YS, and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31760579) and Hainan University startup funds (No. kyqd1663) for YL