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Electric vehicle cluster scheduling model for distribution systems considering reactive power compensation of charging piles
Get PDFData Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the author Liping Huang (e-mail address: [email protected]). The data are not publicly available
due to privacy restrictions.With the increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs), their uncoordinated charging poses a great challenge to the safe operation of the power grid. In addition, traditional individual-EV scheduling models may be difficult to solve due to the increasing number of constraints. Therefore, this paper proposes a cluster-based EV scheduling model. Firstly, electric vehicle clusters (EVCs) are formed based on the charging and discharging preferences of EV users and the expected time for EVs to leave. Secondly, the EVC energy and power boundary aggregation method based on the Minkowski addition algorithm is proposed. Finally, for the sake of reducing user charging cost and distribution network energy loss, and smoothing the daily load curve, an EVC scheduling model for EV participation in grid auxiliary services is proposed. The optimization model includes the reactive-power compensation of EV charging piles. The simulation results show that the proposed EVC scheduling model can greatly reduce the solution time compared to traditional individual-EV scheduling model. The model has high potential to be applied to large-scale EV scheduling. The reactive-power compensation provided by EV charging piles improves the voltage quality of the grid and enables more EVs to be connected to the grid.This research was supported by Key Fields Special Project of Guangdong Provincial Colleges and Universities (New Generation Information Technology), (Grant number [2021ZDZX1082]); Key Disciplines in Zhaoqing Universities-Electronic Science and Technology; The seventh key discipline of Zhaoqing University—Electrical Engineering and NSFC 62206062
Essays in migration and regional trends in Germany
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonGermany is characterised by a remarkable history of labour migration, particularly
since World War II. The country experiences regional economic disparities, manifested
in varying income inequality levels, employment prospects, economic development
and infrastructure. These regional differences and the existence of structural
barriers shape the extent to which migrants integrate into society. This thesis explores
the socio-economic disparities between migrants and natives at the regional
level. Over the course of three essays, this thesis reveals a catch-up in socio-economic
standing between migrants and natives, while also emphasising persistent regional
disparities. Essay 1 explores the migration and inequality patterns in Germany from
1985 to 2015. Despite Germany’s historical dependence on migrant workers, contemporary
negative attitudes and bigotry often relegate migrants to lower social status.
Examining representative German household (SOEP) and Platform X (Twitter) data,
this chapter examines the inequality trends over a 30-year period (1985-2015). It
evaluates the socio-economic achievements of migrants in education, occupation and
income compared to natives. The results challenge existing public perceptions, as
there is no empirical evidence to support the idea that the proportion of immigrants
correlates with an increase in economic inequality.
Essay 2 examines household vulnerability, presenting a multivariate method that
measures vulnerability as an underachievement of multidimensional well-being and
explores its determinants. Using SOEP data spanning from 1985 to 2019, individual
achievements in employment, health, and housing are examined and aggregated at
the household level. The results show that non-native households exhibit the highest
vulnerability, mixed households display the least vulnerability, and native households
fall in between. Chapter 3 employs a task-based approach on German household data
spanning 1985 to 2020. The study analyses discrepancies in occupational trajectories
from a task-based perspective between the native and migrant populations at the aggregate
and regional levels. The analysis draws upon convergence-type regressions to
examine the aggregate and random coefficient models to explore the regional federal
state levels, focusing on routine manual, routine cognitive, non-routine manual, and
non-routine analytic tasks. The evidence suggests an aggregate-level convergence
among native, foreign-born, and second-generation migrants, coupled with a narrowing
gap between foreign-born and second-generation migrants. On the regional
level, the findings indicate heterogeneity with a more subtle convergence observed
in the East when compared with the West. The findings encourage ongoing efforts
to further narrow the economic migrant-native divide. Addressing regional disparities
requires collaborations between municipalities, non-profit and private sectors to
exchange best practices and implement programmes that incentivize endeavours in
disadvantaged regions (e.g., MacKinnon et al. (2024)). Additionally, inclusive workforce
policies accelerating skill and degree recognition are vital to foster migrants’
contributions to the German economy
Life cycle environmental evaluation of medical oxygen masks in the UK
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All data used in this article has been described in the inventory section and in additional SI.Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652624023527#appsec1 .In a clinical setting, medical oxygen masks (MOMs) are made using lightweight and transparent materials with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) being a popular choice. Environmental concerns around the use of PVC have arisen due to the toxicity of plasticisers required; in particular the use of increasingly regulated phthalate (Pht) based plasticisers. Non-Pht plasticisers and alternative materials to PVC are being sought as potential replacements in order to keep MOMs in line with current and expected regulations. This study explores the environmental impacts of three (low-flow) MOMs using a life cycle assessment approach from cradle to grave with a functional unit defined as ‘one single-use low-flow medical oxygen mask for adult use in the UK’. The results account for all 11 impact categories as provided by the CML-IA baseline v3.03 methodology. PVC is the main component of two MOMs: mask A using a non-Pht based plasticiser and mask C (a hypothetical mask) using Pht-based plasticiser DEHP. For Mask B, styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-S) and polypropylene is used instead of PVC. Mask B shows the lowest environmental impact across all impact categories. For six out of 11 impact categories (including global warming potential and ozone depletion), mask C scores highest, whereas mask A is highest for the other five categories (with large impacts in human toxicity and ecotoxicities). Two scenario analyses show the importance of supply chain logistics (i.e., the location of the manufacturing site and location of end user) on overall environmental impact. The results of this study intend to provide evidence to policy makers, healthcare professionals, and manufacturers of MOMs to improve the overall environmental impacts of these products, as they contribute around 4437 tonnes of CO2 eq. yearly in the UK alone. The results show that switching from plasticised PVC to TPE-S would reduce the impacts of the use of MOMS within the UK by 2755 tonnes of CO2 eq. per year.This research was undertaken whilst receiving a studentship, however, the funding source had no involvement in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, or any of the writing stage
Caregiving Across Cultures: Understanding the Interplay of Strain, Self-Perception of Ageing, and Health
Get PDFAwareness of how caregivers see their ageing journey holds significant importance for their health and the care quality they extend. This paper intends to delve into the dynamics of cultural context, caregiving pressure, and their roles in shaping caregivers’ assessments of ageing and health. The research seeks to uncover how various cultural environments shape caregivers’ perspectives and beliefs regarding ageing, as well as how the pressures and challenges of caregiving may influence their health perceptions. A total of 60 spousal caregivers, who are first-generation immigrants in the UK, participated in a cross-sectional survey, consisting of 33 males and 27 females (24 White/European, 24 Chinese, and 12 Asian/Asian British). There was a moderately negative correlation between the self-perception of ageing and caregivers’ strain (r = -.55, p < .001), physical symptoms (r = -.67, p < .001), and low correlation with mental health symptoms (r = -.36, p < .001). The analysis conducted through multiple regression techniques demonstrated that caregivers’ stress, physical complaints, and mental health are consistent predictors of their views on ageing, with the regression equation detailing a significant share of variance in self-perception of ageing (R2 = .56, Adjusted R2 = .53). Cultural background significantly affects self-perception of ageing, revealing notable interactions between gender and cultural background. The General Linear Model was applied to assess the perception of ageing with gender and cultural background. A notable influence was detected, F(2, 59) = 3.50, p = .05, η² = .32, Observed Power = .59. Bonferroni tests conducted later suggested that the White/European group had a markedly higher self-assessment of ageing compared to the other cultural groups, with significant distinctions also apparent among the Asian/Asian British group.The authors wish to acknowledge the support of internal grants (SIO 515515) awarded by the Pump priming funds for the Integrated Health and Social Care IDRT by the Northumbria University (Project ID: 100623)
Lay Knowledge and Beliefs Toward Dementia Among the Black African Populations in the UK and Africa: Evidence Synthesis of Qualitative Studies
Get PDFReview article.Acknowledgments:
The author would like to acknowledge the support of Dr Wendy Martin, Professor Holly Nelson-Becker, and Professor Meriel Norris for their exceptional guidance and encouragement throughout this study. The author would also like to thank Professor Claire Donovan, Professor Christina Victor, Professor Nana Anokye, and Professor Subhash Pokhrel for their additional guidance in this study.Background: The high prevalence of dementia among Black Africans, coupled with their lower engagement with dementia specialist services in the UK, underscores the urgency of understanding lay knowledge and beliefs about dementia in the group. Studies reporting lay knowledge of dementia in the UK tended to conclude that Black Africans lack dementia knowledge, presumably based on biomedical assumptions, without taking into consideration the Black Africans’ lay dementia knowledge and beliefs about dementia. The current study, therefore, investigated the Black African populations’ lay knowledge and beliefs toward dementia in Africa, comparing how this relates to the findings in the UK literature. Methodology: The researcher thoroughly searched electronic databases from September 2017 to October 2022 for qualitative research exploring how Black African populations perceived and experienced dementia, which informed the Black Africans’ dementia knowledge in Africa and the UK. The review included qualitative studies with African populations published in peer-reviewed journals with available abstracts and full text in English. Studies outside the UK and Africa, as well as quantitative research and studies with health practitioners, were excluded. A grounded theory approach informed the thematic analysis. The researcher reported the Black Africans’ lay knowledge and beliefs toward dementia, informed by participants’ experiences and meanings of dementia. Results: Twenty-two studies (n = 22) met the eligibility criteria and were appraised and included in the review. All the UK papers were a multi-modeling of ethnicity in the study. Nine studies (n = 9) were conducted in the UK. Thirteen studies (n = 13) are conducted in Africa, (5 [n = 5] studies from South Africa, 2 [n = 2] from Tanzania, 1 [n = 1] from Congo, 2 [n = 2] from Uganda, 2 [n = 2] from Nigeria, and 1 [n = 1] from Ghana). All the studies were valuable. The researcher identified and developed 4 themes as they emerged from the studies: (i) Dementia witchcraft paradigm, (ii) Dementia older age paradigm, (iii) Dementia disease and illness paradigm, and (iv) Dementia identity paradigm. Discussion/Conclusion: The lay knowledge and beliefs about dementia among Black African populations were foregrounded in sociocultural distinctiveness, and some understanding intersected with biomedical knowledge about dementia. Further empirical study in the UK is essential. Implications for policy and practice: A better understanding of lay knowledge and beliefs about dementia among Black African populations can improve dementia care, providing culturally sensitive and tailored support for Black African communities.The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article
中英两国在博物馆和画廊领域的科研、发展与创新（RD&I）合作的未来
Get PDFEdited by Youngok Choi, Min Hua and Hyejin KwonProject Members:
Principal investigator: Professor Youngok Choi;
Co-investigator: Professor Vanja Garaj;
Co-investigator: Dr Min Hua;
Co-investigator: Dr Busayawan Lam;
Co-investigator: Dr Wei Wang;
Researcher: Dr Hyejin Kwon;
Research Assistant: Xiaoyagn Zhao;
Visualiser: Dr Mathurada Bejrananda.
Project Partners:
Natural History Museum, UK;
Modern Art Museum Shanghai and SoART Gallery, China.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The museums and galleries sector is central to the creative industries of both the UK and China, and it has experienced substantial growth in recent years. This expansion, driven by the rapid emergence of immersive and interactive technologies, has contributed significantly to the culture, society, and economies of both countries. The UK and China are presently engaged in actively pursuing opportunities for bilateral collaboration in this area, with a particular emphasis on immersive and interactive technologies, to foster long-term international partnerships geared towards enhancing
transnational cultural exchange and accelerating their global outreach and recognition. Despite strong interest, there’s a need for strategic efforts to propel this exchange forward at the sector-wide level. Accordingly, this research aims to deliver a strategic framework that can facilitate the long-term RD&I collaboration between museums and galleries in the UK and China, focusing on immersive and interactive museum and gallery experiences.
The research comprised four phases. The first focused on understanding the current trends in using immersive and interactive technologies in the museums and galleries sector and explored existing RD&I collaboration between the UK and China. An extensive literature review and in-depth case studies were applied to this exploratory study. The next step involved investigating current and emerging audience trends by conducting a questionnaire survey with museum and gallery audiences and interviewing four groups of stakeholders from both the UK and China: (i) museums and galleries, (ii) creative businesses, (iii) academic research communities, and (iv) policymakers and implementers The third phase saw the staging of a creative workshop with key stakeholders and audiences to obtain feedback on the key findings and elicit key considerations for creating a strategic framework for long-term RD&I collaboration. Phase four established this strategic framework.
The research findings demonstrate the significant impact and benefits of employing immersive and interactive technologies in the museums and galleries sector. Both stakeholders and audiences expressed positive views towards utilising these technologies to enhance museum and gallery experiences and promote international collaboration. Nevertheless, the research pinpoints critical issues, including divergent awareness, experiences and preferences among audiences, dependence on government funding for development, and a deficiency of strategic partnerships among stakeholders.
A strategic framework has been developed to facilitate long-term RD&I collaboration between the UK and China. This framework serves as a guide for relevant stakeholders – including policymakers and implementers, museums and galleries, creative businesses, academic institutions and audiences – to better understand and execute essential elements, core qualities and key stakeholders’ roles. With this framework, stakeholders are expected to have the opportunity to embrace a multifaceted strategy aimed at mitigating challenges and impediments while simultaneously amplifying factors that drive and capitalise on opportunities impacting the endurance of long-term RD&I collaboration between the UK and China.执行摘要: 近年来，博物馆与画廊行业增长迅速，已成为中英两国创意产业的核心支柱。这一增长主要由沉浸式和交互式技术的快速发展所推动，对两国的文化、社会和经济发展均产生了重大影响。目前，中英两国正积极探索该领域内的双边合作机会，特别是在沉浸式和交互式技术的应用上，借以促进面向加强国际文化交流，提升全球影响力及知名度的长期国际伙伴关系。尽管双方对此存在浓厚的合作兴趣，但仍需在行业层面上做出战略性推动，以促进这一合作向纵深发展。基于此，本研究旨在构建一个战略框架，促进中英两国在博物馆与画廊领域的长期性RD&I合作，同时关注沉浸式和交互式技术在该领域内的应用和体验。
本研究分为四个阶段。第一阶段，通过广泛的文献回顾和深入的案例分析，关注沉浸式和交互式技术在博物馆与画廊行业的应用趋势，并探讨中英之间现有的RD&I合作现状。第二阶段，通过问卷调查和访谈，从(i)博物馆与画廊观众(ii)创意企业、(iii)学术研究社群，及(iv)政策制定者与执行者等多个利益相关者角度，收集反馈，揭示当前及新兴的观众趋势。第三阶段，组织了创意研讨会，邀请关键利益相关者和观众就主要研究发现提供反馈，并提炼出构建长期RD&I合作战略框架的关键要素。第四阶段，确立了这一战略框架。
研究结果表明，沉浸式和交互式技术在博物馆与画廊行业的应用对两国产生了积极的影响和显著的效益。利益相关者和观众对这些技术持积极态度，认为其能够丰富参观体验并促进国际合作与交流。然而，研究同时指出了一些挑战，包括观众的认知、体验和偏好的差异，对政府资金的过度依赖，以及缺乏战略性合作关系。
为推动中英之间的长期RD&I合作，本研究构建了一个战略框架。该框架作为一个指南，旨在帮助相关利益相关者（包括政策制定者和执行者、博物馆和画廊、创意企业、学术机构和观众）更好地理解基本要素、核心品质，并行使好关键利益相关者的角色。通过这一框架，相关利益相关者有望采用多元化战略应对挑战，同时抓住持续影响中英长期RD&I合作的机遇。The international collaborative project between Brunel University London, UK and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) -- https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FW009463%2F1. We extend our thanks to all participants and project partners, with special appreciation for the Natural History Museum
WEIGHT OPTIMIZATION USING DESIGN TOPOLOGY AND MULTI- MATERIALS FOR AM APPLICATION IN MULTHEM PROJECT
Get PDFMechanical products such as EV Batteries and Electrical Motors have housings confined to their boundary spaces. Existing industrial products use metal like aluminium as a full-covered casing or housing material, and this is costly in terms of performance overall as weight is a major affecting factor. With the use of metal-polymer 3D printing technologies, designs can be optimized for weight, and thus, the performance. In MULTHEM project, a new approach in Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been researched for designing such housings to reduce weight and to improve thermal management by using design optimization and new developed multi-materials composed of Reinforced Carbon Fiber Composites (RCFC) and aluminium combinations. This is virtually applied on housings of use-cases (an EV battery and an electric motor) in a modelling and simulation environment. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Topology Optimization with multi-materials (metal-polymer) has been simulated on the housings. The heat dissipation in these components to the environment has also been taken into account in the design optimization where a balance is required between heat transfer and mass reduction through the material thickness. Limitations in design topology optimization process occur with less material thicknesses in the housings where no further reduction in mass is possible as constraints from 3D printing processes are applicable. Results show significant reductions in housings mass up to 50% compared to original metal designs. This further enhances the capabilities in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM).The EU Horizon Europe (HE) funded ‘MULTHEM’ project comprises of nine partners from eight countries with a total grant of € 4,071,977.50 (grant agreement number 101091495) [11]. The contributions include from Brunel University London (UK), CETEMET (Spain), AirElectric (Spain), Eire Composites (Ireland), THALES (France), Fraunhofer (Germany), TNO (Netherlands), Prima Additives (Italy) and LIST (Luxemburg)
Whole Society Resilience: What's art got to do with it?
No full textIn recognising and calling for ‘whole of society’ approaches to resilience, the UK Government Resilience Framework (UKGRF) implicitly suggests both that whole society resilience is new and that it is not already being enacted. Simultaneously, while the move to a more holistic, broadbased approach to resilience is important and timely, there are risks in accidentally suggesting that resilience is only borne by communities and individuals looking after themselves
Bricolage Strategies, Stakeholder Engagement, and the Geographic Expansion of Social Enterprises
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The data are not publicly available due to ethical, legal, or other concerns.Supplementary Material is available online at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08997640241262225#supplementary-materials . For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.Social enterprises (SEs), hybrid entities balancing revenue generation and social or environmental goals, often employ bricolage due to resource constraints. Interviews with 37 SE managers unveiled two pivotal bricolage strategies—utilizing SE status–related marketing resources and leveraging available technological resources—as well as how their interplay influences geographical expansion and the contingent roles of stakeholder participation in facilitating their impact. Quantitative studies of 778 U.K. SEs confirm that the predominant facilitator of geographic expansion is the utilization of status-related marketing resources, surpassing the impact of leveraging available technological resources. SEs’ efforts to utilize SE status–related marketing resources should be harmonized with community participation, whereas SEs aiming to leverage available technological resources should align their efforts with employee participation. We also underscore the substitution dynamic between these two bricolage strategies. However, SEs prioritizing employee participation are better positioned to mitigate the challenges arising from this substitution than those emphasizing community participation.The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article
Search for Higgs boson pair production with one associated vector boson in proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV
Get PDFA preprint version of the article is available at arXiv:2404.08462v2 [hep-ex], https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.08462 . Comments: Replaced with the published version. Added the journal reference and the DOI. All the figures and tables can be found at https://cms-results.web.cern.ch/cms-results/public-results/publications/HIG-22-006 (CMS Public Pages). Report number: CMS-HIG-22-006, CERN-EP-2024-064.A search for Higgs boson pair (HH) production in association with a vector boson V (W or Z boson) is presented. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. Both hadronic and leptonic decays of V bosons are used. The leptons considered are electrons, muons, and neutrinos. The HH production is searched for in the bb¯bb¯ decay channel. An observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level of VHH production cross section is set at 294 (124) times the standard model prediction. Constraints are also set on the modifiers of the Higgs boson trilinear self-coupling, κλ, assuming κ2V = 1 and vice versa on the coupling of two Higgs bosons with two vector bosons, κ2V. The observed (expected) 95% confidence intervals of these coupling modifiers are -37.7 < κλ < 37.2 (-30.1 < κλ < 28.9) and -12.2 < κ2V < 13.5 (-7.2 < κ2V < 8.9), respectively.SCOAP3
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