Energy Disaggregation Using Elastic Matching Algorithms

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)In this article an energy disaggregation architecture using elastic matching algorithms is presented. The architecture uses a database of reference energy consumption signatures and compares them with incoming energy consumption frames using template matching. In contrast to machine learning-based approaches which require significant amount of data to train a model, elastic matching-based approaches do not have a model training process but perform recognition using template matching. Five different elastic matching algorithms were evaluated across different datasets and the experimental results showed that the minimum variance matching algorithm outperforms all other evaluated matching algorithms. The best performing minimum variance matching algorithm improved the energy disaggregation accuracy by 2.7% when compared to the baseline dynamic time warping algorithm.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Boundary conditions for black holes using the Ashtekar isolated and dynamical horizons formalism

textIsolated and Dynamical horizons are used to generate boundary conditions upon the lapse and shift vectors. Numerous results involving the Hamiltonian of General relativity are derived, including a self-contained derivation of the Hamiltonian equations of general relativity using both a direct 'brute force' method of directly computing Lie derivatives, as well as the standard Hamil- tonian approach. Conclusions are compared to numerous examples, including the Kerr, Schwarzschild-De Sitter, McVittie, and Vaiyda spacetimes.Physic

Reflexive Power(s)? - Exploring the Dynamics, Contradictions and Paradoxes of Evolving Political Forms in Innovative Organizations.: Paper presented at the EGOS Colloquium 2009, Barcelona, July 2-4, 2009; Sub-theme 19: Power, resistance and hegemony in the contexts of organizational and institutional change

How do reflexive political forms within organizations and the design of innovation processes co-evolve? This paper focuses on emerging reflexive forms of power and authority, considered as regimes beyond pure domination (Clegg et al. 2006: 330 f.). We assume that preserving freedom and initiative of individuals, while not undermining the power of organizational top elites, is particularly essential for business success of organisations operating in high-tech, innovative sectors. Up to now, however, neither the development of related political forms within organisations, nor their intertwinements with innovation processes have been very well understood. Therefore this paper studies the linkages between innovation processes and reflexive political forms of organizations. More specifically, the paper aims to explore in detail the contested, antagonistic and paradoxical processes an organisation must undertake in designing a reflexive political form, a “political hybrid” (Clegg et al. 2006: 333), conducive to innovation capabilities and innovation processes in high-tech companies. Theoretical reasoning is underlined by first insights from a longitudinal case study, being part of a comparative case study program, focusing on the co-evolution of political forms and innovation process design in a SME in southern Germany. The paper contributes to the debate on power and innovation in several respects. First, we will propose a dynamic approach to exploring change and development of political forms within organisations. Most of the literature concerned with different political forms and political regimes within organisations is still centred on static typologies and its comparison (Clegg et al. 2006: 332). Second, we will examine the often neglected, contradictory processes shaping hybrid political forms in organisations. Third, we will conceptually and empirically explore linkages between innovation processes and emerging political hybrids within organizations. This study is, to the best of our knowledge, a research desideratum both in the literature on power and the literature on innovation processes (e.g. Hage and Meeus 2006; Poole and Van De Ven 2004; Vigoda-Gadot and Drory 2006; Clegg et al. 2006)

Determination of the Li distribution in synthetic recycling slag with SIMS

The recovery of technically important elements like lithium from slag of pyrometallurgical recycling of lithium traction batteries will be very important in future due to the expected increasing demand of this element with the upcoming world-wide implementation of electro mobility. Therefore, the investigation of possibilities to recover lithium from pyrometallurgical slag from the recycling of lithium traction batteries is mandatory. In this context, the EnAM (engineered artificial mineral) approach is very promising. Solidified melt of synthetic recycling slag with the compounds Li2O-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO-MnO contains various Li-bearing phases including spinel solid solution, Li-aluminate and eucryptite-like Li-alumosilicate. Most probably, the Ca-alumosilicate matrix (melilite-like solid solution) incorporates lithium as well. These compounds can be determined and calculated to an acceptable approximation with electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Nevertheless, an adequate precise measurement of lithium is virtually impossible due to the extremely low fluorescence yield and long wavelength of Li Kα. Secondary mass spectrometry (SIMS) can be used to fill this gap in the analytical assessment of the slag. Therefore, the combination of these two analytical methods can distinctively improve the mineralogical and chemical characterization of lithium-containing solidified (slag) melt

An Avatar a Day Keeps the Stress Away: The Implementation of Avatars as Technostress Relievers on Online Shopping Websites

In contrast to stationary retail, online shopping websites are characterized by the fact that no human salesperson is available to buyers as a reference and supporting function for the purchase. With increasing technological penetration and thus online shoppers facing the challenges of technologically induced stress (technostress), it becomes crucial for e-commerce operators to reduce this impersonality of online stores to avoid negative consequences of technostress. Our study proposes the means of an avatar as a technostress reliever. We empirically assess the indirect effect of technostress on purchase intention mediated by online store quality and moderated by avatar presence on the online store website. Our 2x2-factorial between-subjects experimental study reveals a negative indirect effect of technostress on purchase intention of respondents. Further, our findings show that independently of perceived online store quality the total level of the purchase intention is higher for the presence of an avatar than for the absence of an avatar

Global myocardial longitudinal strain in a general population—associations with blood pressure and subclinical heart failure: The Tromsø Study

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-019-01741-3.The early detection of subclinical myocardial dysfunction can contribute to the treatment and prevention of heart failure (HF). The aim of the study was to (i) describe myocardial global longitudinal strain (GLS) patterns in a large general population sample from Norway and their relation to established cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors; (ii) to determine its normal thresholds in healthy individuals and (iii) ascertain the relation of myocardial GLS to stage A subclinical heart failure (SAHF). Participants (n = 1855) of the 7th survey of the population-based Tromsø Study of Norway (2015–2016) with GLS measurements were studied. Linear and logistic regression models were used for assessment of the associations between CVD risk factors and GLS. Mean GLS (SD) in healthy participants was − 15.9 (2.7) % in men and − 17.8 (3.1) % in women. Among healthy subjects, defined as those without known cardiovascular diseases and comorbidities, GLS declined with age. An increase of systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 10 mm Hg was associated with a 0.2% GLS reduction. Myocardial GLS in individuals with SAHF was 1.2% lower than in participants without SAHF (p < 0.001). Mean myocardial GLS declines with age in both sexes, both in a general population and in the healthy subsample. SBP increase associated with GLS decline in women. Our findings indicate high sensitivity of GLS for early subclinical stages of HF

Natural climate variability is an important aspect of future projections of snow water resources and rain-on-snow events

Climate projection studies of future changes in snow conditions and resulting rain-on-snow (ROS) flood events are subject to large uncertainties. Typically, emission scenario uncertainties and climate model uncertainties are included. This is the first study on this topic to also include quantification of natural climate variability, which is the dominant uncertainty for precipitation at local scales with large implications for runoff projections, for example. To quantify natural climate variability, a weather generator was applied to simulate inherently consistent climate variables for multiple realizations of current and future climates at 100 m spatial and hourly temporal resolution over a 12 x 12 km high-altitude study area in the Swiss Alps. The output of the weather generator was used as input for subsequent simulations with an energy balance snow model. The climate change signal for snow water resources stands out as early as mid-century from the noise originating from the three sources of uncertainty investigated, namely uncertainty in emission scenarios, uncertainty in climate models, and natural climate variability. For ROS events, a climate change signal toward more frequent and intense events was found for an RCP 8.5 scenario at high elevations at the end of the century, consistently with other studies. However, for ROS events with a substantial contribution of snowmelt to runoff (> 20 %), the climate change signal was largely masked by sources of uncertainty. Only those ROS events where snowmelt does not play an important role during the event will occur considerably more frequently in the future, while ROS events with substantial snowmelt contribution will mainly occur earlier in the year but not more frequently. There are two reasons for this: first, although it will rain more frequently in midwinter, the snowpack will typically still be too cold and dry and thus cannot contribute significantly to runoff; second, the very rapid decline in snowpack toward early summer, when conditions typically prevail for substantial contributions from snowmelt, will result in a large decrease in ROS events at that time of the year. Finally, natural climate variability is the primary source of uncertainty in projections of ROS metrics until the end of the century, contributing more than 70 % of the total uncertainty. These results imply that both the inclusion of natural climate variability and the use of a snow model, which includes a physically based process representation of water retention, are important for ROS projections at the local scale.ISSN:1994-0416ISSN:1994-042

Li-Distribution in compounds of the Li2O-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO system: a first survey

The recovery of critical elements in recycling processes of complex high-tech products is often limited when applying only mechanical separation methods. A possible route is the pyrometallurgical processing that allows transferring of important critical elements into an alloy melt. Chemical rather ignoble elements will report in slag or dust. Valuable ignoble elements such as lithium should be recovered out of that material stream. A novel approach to accomplish this is enrichment in engineered artificial minerals (EnAM). An application with a high potential for resource efficient solutions is the pyrometallurgical processing of Li ion batteries. Starting from comparatively simple slag compositions such as the Li-Al-Si-Ca-O system, the next level of complexity is reached when adding Mg, derived from slag builders or other sources. Every additional component will change the distribution of Li between the compounds generated in the slag. Investigations with powder X-Ray diffraction (PXRD) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of solidified melt of the five-compound system Li2O-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO reveal that Li can occur in various compounds from beginning to the end of the crystallization. Among these compounds are Li1−x(Al1−xSix)O2, Li1−xMgy(Al)(Al3/2y+xSi2−x−3/2y)O6, solid solutions of Mg1−(3/2y)Al2+yO4/LiAl5O8 and Ca-alumosilicate (melilite). There are indications of segregation processes of Al-rich and Si(Ca)-rich melts. The experimental results were compared with solidification curves via thermodynamic calculations of the systems MgO-Al2O3 and Li2O-SiO2-Al2O3

MEASURING SNOW SURFACE TEMPERATURE: WHY, WHY NOT, AND HOW?

ABSTRACT: Avalanche mitigation programs measures snow surface temperature, Tss, for up to three objectives: 1) to infer near surface faceting (NSF) from Tss and the snow temperature 10 cm or 20 cm below the surface; 2) to measure change in the snow surface temperature over time (e.g. days) usually at study plots; 3) to determine the point-in-time surface temperature. We review the surface properties of snow and the energy exchange at the snow surface and identify the low albedo of contact thermometers as problematic for measuring snow surface temperature. Using field studies with contact thermometers, hand-held IR thermometers and an IR camera, we show that a contact thermometer on a shaded part of the snow surface can be up to 6 °C above the surface temperature. While hand-held IR thermometers are promising for measuring Tss, some units are more accurate than others and some units are slow to adjust to the ambient temperature. Since the true snow surface temperature varies widely within hours and the near surface temperature gradient usually reverses twice per day, a point-in-time measurement of the surface temperature -even with an accurate handheld IR thermometer -is less indicative of NSF than observations of the sky cover. We recommend observations or measurement methods for each of the three objectives of avalanche mitigation program