Thévenin's Battery Model Parameter Estimation Based on Simulink

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) proved over time to be one of the best choices among rechargeable batteries. Their small size, high energy density, long life, and low maintenance need make them a prominent candidate for the role of the most widespread energy storage system. They have the potential to monopolize the green technology sector. An accurate definition of the parameters defining the behaviour of the battery in different operating conditions is thus essential, as their knowledge proves crucial in certain fields such as those that involve electric vehicles. This paper proposes the estimation of the values of the parameters of the Thevenin equivalent circuit of a LIB commercial cell. Experimental data obtained through constant current charge/discharge cycles are analysed through a Simulink model, and results are obtained as a function of the state of charge (SOC) for a fixed and controlled temperature value. The results achieved with the proposed model can monitor the salient parameters of the equivalent circuit with an error between 7 and 10%

Convective instability in a horizontal porous channel with permeable and conducting side boundaries

The stability analysis of the motionless state of a horizontal porous channel with rectangular cross-section and saturated by a fluid is developed. The heating from below is modelled by a uniform flux, while the top wall is assumed to be isothermal. The side boundaries are considered as permeable and perfectly conducting. The linear stability of the basic state is studied for the normal mode perturbations. The principle of exchange of stabilities is proved, so that only stationary normalmodes need to be considered in the stability analysis.The eigenvalue problem for the neutral stability condition is solved analytically, and a closed-form dispersion relation is obtained for the neutral stability. The Darcy–Rayleigh number is expressed as an implicit function of the longitudinalwave number and of the aspect ratio. The critical wave number and the critical Darcy–Rayleigh number are evaluated for different aspect ratios. The preferredmodes under critical conditions are detected. It is found that the selected patterns of instability at the critical Rayleigh number are two-dimensional, for slender or square cross-sections of the channel. On the other hand, instability is three dimensional when the critical width-to-height ratio, 1.350517, is exceeded. Eventually, the effects of a finite longitudinal length of the channel are discussed

Diverging effects of postextrasystolic potentiation on left ventricular segmental wall motion in coronary heart disease.

The effects of postextrasystolic potentiation (PESP) on regional left ventricular (LV) wall motion were evaluated in 40 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Of the 40 CAD patients, 20 had a prior myocardial infarction and 20 had a history of angina pectoris. PESP was obtained by applying programmed atrial stimulation during LV angiography, in a way that basal cycle length, premature beat, and postextrasystolic pause were almost identical in all patients. Segmental wall motion was evaluated by calculating regional ejection fraction (EF) of 5 different areas with a computerized method before and after the premature beat. The results were compared to those obtained in a group of 8 normal subjects. LV areas were classified as normokinetic, mildly hypokinetic, severely hypokinetic, and hyperkinetic, on the basis of their regional EF in respect to normals, and classified as "responder" (R) and "nonresponder" on the basis of the magnitude of the increase of regional EF with PESP. Of a total of 200 areas 129 were normokinetic (68% R), 45 were mildly hypokinetic (78% R), 17 severely hypokinetic (76% R), and 9 were hyperkinetic (78% R). Infarcted patients had a higher percentage of hypokinetic areas in basal conditions (p<0.001), however, the percentage of hypokinetic areas that responded to PESP was not significantly different from noninfarcted patients. In CAD patients, as a whole, a significant direct correlation was found between basal regional EF and regional EF after PESP (r=0.88, p<0.01). In conclusion, the results indicate: (1) normokinetic LV areas do not always respond to PESP; (2) while infarcted patients have a higher proportion of myocardial segments that are hypokinetic, the number of these areas that respond to PESP does not differ between infarcted and noninfarcted patients; (3) in CAD patients there is a direct relationship between the degree of basal regional function and the magnitude of the response to PESP

Onset of Darcy--Bénard convection under throughflow of a shear-thinning fluid

We present an investigation on the onset of Darcy--B'enard instability in a two--dimensional porous medium saturated with a non--Newtonian fluid and heated from below in presence of a uniform horizontal pressure gradient. The fluid is taken to be of power--law nature with constant rheological index $n$ and temperature dependent consistency index $mu^*$. A two--dimensional linear stability analysis in the vertical plane yields the critical wave number and the generalised critical Rayleigh number as functions of dimensionless problem parameters, with a non monotonic dependence from $n$ and with maxima/minima at given values of $gamma$, a parameter representing the effects of consistency index variations due to temperature. A series of experiments are conducted in a Hele-Shaw cell of aspect ratio $H/b=13.3-20$ to provide a verification of the theory. Xanthan Gum mixtures {(nominal concentration from 0.10% to 0.20%)} are employed as working fluids with a parameter range $n=0.55-0.72$ and $mu^*_0=0.02-0.10,mathrm{Pa},mathrm{s}^n$. The experimental critical wave number corresponding to incipient instability of the convective cells is derived via image analysis for different values of the imposed horizontal velocity. Theoretical results for critical wave number favourably compare with experiments, systematically underestimating their experimental counterparts by $10$ at most. The discrepancy between experiments and theory is more relevant for the critical Rayleigh number, with theory overestimating the experiments by a maximum factor less than two. Discrepancies are {attributable} to a {combination of factors: nonlinear phenomena, possible subcritical bifurcations, and unaccounted-for disturbing effects such as approximations in the rheological model, wall slip, ageing and degradation of the fluid properties.

Onset of Darcy-B\ue9nard convection under throughflow of a shear-thinning fluid

We present an investigation on the onset of Darcy-B\ue9nard instability in a two-dimensional porous medium saturated with a non-Newtonian fluid and heated from below in the presence of a uniform horizontal pressure gradient. The fluid is taken to be of power-law nature with constant rheological index and temperature-dependent consistency index. A two-dimensional linear stability analysis in the vertical plane yields the critical wavenumber and the generalised critical Rayleigh number as functions of dimensionless problem parameters, with a non-monotonic dependence from and with maxima/minima at given values of , a parameter representing the effects of consistency index variations due to temperature. A series of experiments are conducted in a Hele-Shaw cell of aspect ratio to provide a verification of the theory. Xanthan Gum mixtures (nominal concentration from 0.10 % to 0.20 %) are employed as working fluids with a parameter range and. The experimental critical wavenumber corresponding to incipient instability of the convective cells is derived via image analysis for different values of the imposed horizontal velocity. Theoretical results for critical wavenumber favourably compare with experiments, systematically underestimating their experimental counterparts by 10 % at most. The discrepancy between experiments and theory is more relevant for the critical Rayleigh number, with theory overestimating the experiments by a maximum factor less than two. Discrepancies are attributable to a combination of factors: nonlinear phenomena, possible subcritical bifurcations, and unaccounted-for disturbing effects such as approximations in the rheological model, wall slip, ageing and degradation of the fluid properties

High Energy & High Luminosity γγ\gamma\gamma Colliders

With the best of modern standard lasers, high-energy $\gamma\gamma$ colliders from electron beams of E larger than 250 GeV are only possible at the expense of photon luminosity, i.e. 10 times lower than for photon colliders at c.m. energies below 0.5 TeV. For existing state-of-the art lasers, an optimistic upper energy limit for x=4.8 is an electron beam of less than 250 GeV. This Snowmass21 Contributed Paper shows how Free Electron Lasers (FEL) pave the way for High Energy & High Luminosity $\gamma\gamma$ colliders. We present and assess a conceptual design study of a FEL with wavelength of 2.4 $\mu$m and an x-factor in the range of 2 to 40, to maximize the luminosity of a $\gamma\gamma$ collider as second interaction region of 0.5 TeV to 10 TeV c.m. $e^+e^-$ colliders.Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 202

CotG Mediates Spore Surface Permeability in Bacillus subtilis

: Proteins and glycoproteins that form the surface layers of the Bacillus spore assemble into semipermeable arrays that surround and protect the spore cytoplasm. Such layers, acting like molecular sieves, exclude large molecules but allow small nutrients (germinants) to penetrate. We report that CotG, a modular and abundant component of the Bacillus subtilis spore coat, controls spore permeability through its central region, formed by positively charged tandem repeats. These repeats act as spacers between the N and C termini of the protein, which are responsible for the interaction of CotG with at least one other coat protein. The deletion but not the replacement of the central repeats with differently charged repeats affects the spore resistance to lysozyme and the efficiency of germination-probably by reducing the coat permeability to external molecules. The presence of central repeats is a common feature of the CotG-like proteins present in most Bacillus species, and such a wide distribution of this protein family is suggestive of a relevant role for the structure and function of the Bacillus spore. IMPORTANCE Bacterial spores are quiescent cells extremely resistant to a variety of unphysiological conditions, including the presence of lytic enzymes. Such resistance is also due to the limited permeability of the spore surface, which does not allow lytic enzymes to reach the spore interior. This article proposes that the spore permeability in B. subtilis is mediated by CotG, a modular protein formed by a central region of repeats of positively charged amino acid acting as a "spacer" between the N and C termini. These, in turn, interact with other coat proteins, generating a protein layer whose permeability to external molecules is controlled by the distance between the N and C termini of CotG. This working model is most likely expandable to most sporeformers of the Bacillus genus, since they all have CotG-like proteins, not homologous to CotG of B. subtilis but similarly characterized by central repeats

Convective Roll Instabilities of Vertical Throughflow with Viscous Dissipation in a Horizontal Porous Layer

Published version of an article from the journal: Transport in Porous Media. The original publication is available at Spingerlink. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11242-009-9417-yThe vertical throughflow with viscous dissipation in a horizontal porous layer is studied. The horizontal plane boundaries are assumed to be isothermal with unequal temperatures and bottom heating. A basic stationary solution of the governing equations with a uniform vertical velocity field (throughflow) is determined. The temperature field in the basic solution depends only on the vertical coordinate. Departures from the linear heat conduction profile are displayed by the temperature distribution due to the forced convection effect and to the viscous dissipation effect. A linear stability analysis of the basic solution is carried out in order to determine the conditions for the onset of convective rolls. The critical values of the wave number and of the Darcy-Rayleigh number are determined numerically by the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. It is shown that, although generally weak, the effect of viscous dissipation yields an increase of the critical value of the Darcy-Rayleigh number for downward throughflow and a decrease in the case of upward throughflow. Finally, the limiting case of a vanishing boundary temperature difference is discussed

Early and late improvement of global and regional left ventricular function after transcatheter aortic valve implantation in patients with severe aortic stenosis: an echocardiographic study.

The recent development of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe aortic stenosis (AS) treatment offers a viable option for high-risk patient categories. Our aim is to evaluate whether 2D strain and strain rate can detect subtle improvement in global and regional LV systolic function immediately after TAVI. 2D conventional and 2D strain (speckle analysis) echocardiography was performed before, at discharge and after three months in thirty three patients with severe AS. After TAVI, we assessed by conventional echocardiography an immediate reduction of transaortic peak pressure gradient (p<0.0001), of mean pressure gradient (p<0.0001) and a concomitant increase in aortic valve area (AVA: 1.08±0.31 cm(2)/m(2); p<0.0001). 2D longitudinal systolic strain showed a significant improvement in all patients, both at septal and lateral level, as early as 72 h after procedure (septal: -14.2±5.1 vs -16.7±3.7%, p<0.001; lateral: -9.4±3.9 vs -13.1±4.5%, p<0.001; respectively) and continued at 3 months follow-up (septal: -18.1±4.6%, p<0.0001; lateral: -14.8±4.4%, p<0.0001; respectively). Conventional echocardiography after TAVI proved a significant reduction of LV end-systolic volume and of LV mass with a mild improvement of LV ejection fraction (EF) (51.2±11.8 vs 52.9±6.4%; p<0.02) only after three months. 2D strain seems to be able to detect subtle changes in LV systolic function occurring early and late after TAVI in severe AS, while all conventional echo parameters seem to be less effective for this purpose. Further investigations are needed to prove the real prognostic impact of these echocardiographic findings