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Multi-objective charging scheduling for electric vehicles at charging stations with renewable energy generation
Get PDFThe rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years has posed significant challenges to the safe operation of local grids, particularly regarding charging operations at public charging stations.This paper proposes a real-time charging scheduling scheme to enable efficient Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) interactions and facilitate renewable energy integration at public charging stations, while accounting for real-world EV charging behaviors. First, an EV charging/discharging behavior database is developed to capture the temporal uncertainty and charging characteristics of both fast- and slow-charging operations on weekdays and weekends. Then a charging pile allocation mechanism is introduced to optimize the charging power distribution for each EV, thereby maximizing the overall operational efficiency of the studied charging station. A micro-grid system model is developed incorporating efficient V2G interactions and renewable energy integration. Finally, a comprehensive charging scheduling scheme is proposed to achieve a balanced optimization of multiple objectives. Extensive simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheduling method. The results demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves strong performance across all three selected indicators
Cosmopolitanism in urban spaces: The case of Kuzguncuk and its hybrid historic environment in Istanbul
No full textKuzguncuk, a historic neighbourhood in the Asian (Anatolian) part of Istanbul, Turkey, serves as an exemplary case study to identify the complicated relationship between urban tradition and cosmopolitanism. The unique architectural heritage of Kuzguncuk is characterised by a variety of religious buildings, including two synagogues, two Greek Orthodox churches, an Armenian church and a mosque, all located in the immediate vicinity. The presence of different residential buildings built by people from various backgrounds also emphasises the multicultural heritage that has shaped the urban fabric of Kuzguncuk. This spatial arrangement is not only an example of the historical cosmopolitanism of the area but also identifies the characteristics and sustainability of cosmopolitan architecture. The current situation in the area demonstrates the possible approaches and strategies which can be used for the sustainability of cosmopolitan architecture even though the cosmopolitan nature of the society has decreased over time. This article looks at the changing cosmopolitan character of Kuzguncuk, focusing on how the multi-ethnic harmony and their representative architectural coexistence have evolved over time and examines the impact on today's urban space
Percutaneous Image-Guided Ablation of Renal Cancer: Traditional and Emerging Indications, Energy Sources, Techniques, and Future Developments
Get PDFPercutaneous image-guided ablation (IGA) has emerged as an established alternative to surgical management for small renal masses. This comprehensive review examines traditional and emerging indications, energy sources, techniques, and future developments in IGA for renal cancer treatment. Traditionally, IGA has been indicated for frail or comorbid patients, those with solitary kidneys or chronic kidney disease, and those with histologically proven renal cell carcinomas less than 4 cm in size. Recent evidence supports expanding these indications to include T1b or T2 tumours and hereditary or recurrent renal cell carcinomas. The use of IGA combined with pre-ablation transarterial embolisation is discussed herein. This review then explores traditional energy sources including radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and microwave ablation, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. Emerging technologies such as irreversible electroporation and histotripsy, as promising alternatives, are then presented, highlighting their advantage of being able to treat tumours near critical structures. Future research priorities highlight the need to establish high-quality evidence through innovative trial designs, as well as taking patient-reported outcome measures into account. Health economic considerations are key to ensuring that ablation therapies are cost-effective. The integration of artificial intelligence and radiomics shows vast potential for improving patient selection and treatment outcomes. Additionally, the immunomodulatory effects of ablative therapies suggest possible synergistic benefits when combined with immunotherapy which also require exploration in future research. Technological advancement and research developments will continue to broaden the role of IGA in clinical practice
Chiral interactions between tropocollagen molecules determine the collagen microfibril structure
Get PDFCollagen is the most abundant structural protein in animals, forming hierarchically organised fibrils that provide mechanical support to tissues. Despite detailed structural studies, the physical principles that govern the formation of the characteristic axially-periodic collagen microfibril remain poorly understood. Here, we present a theoretical framework that links the amino acid sequence of tropocollagen to its supramolecular organisation. By combining statistical modeling of residue geometry with sequence-informed interaction potentials, we show that the chiral arrangement of outward-facing residues induces directional intermolecular interactions that drive molecular supercoiling. These interactions favour the formation of right-handed, pentameric microfibrils with a staggered axial periodicity of approximately 67 nm. Our simulations reveal that this structure emerges across a wide range of mammalian collagen sequences as a global energy minimum robust to biochemical noise. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for collagen's supramolecular chirality and offer design principles for engineering synthetic collagen-mimetic materials
The structure of Borneo vortices and their relationship with cold surges, the Madden–Julian oscillation and equatorial waves
Get PDFThe Borneo vortex (BV) is a synoptic-scale vorticity feature found in the South China Sea near Borneo during extended Boreal winter, which can bring heavy rain to the region. Predicting this rainfall is difficult. Therefore, a better understanding of the structure of these vortices and their interaction with equatorial waves could aid forecasters. Here we divide the BVs found from 41-years of October–March ERA5 data into five clusters based on their tracks identified using relative vorticity maxima. These clusters capture distinct phenomena: vortices moving westwards across the South China Sea, vortices tracking along the north and northwest sides of Borneo, vortices sitting on the west side of Borneo, and vortices that initiate on the northwest side of Borneo, cross the equator and track eastwards along the south coast of Borneo. These clusters have a strong seasonal dependence related to the strength and southward propagation of the northeasterly flow and therefore cold-surge type. The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is considerably less important than the cold surge for modulating vortex frequency but has a similar order of magnitude impact on vortex rainfall. Kelvin waves strongly modulate rainfall from all BVs. Westward-moving mixed Rossby–gravity (WMRG) and Rossby n = 1 (R1) waves modify frequency, rainfall, and vorticity through modification of environmental vorticity and northeasterly flow. These properties are highest when the BV is within or on the leading edge of the positive vorticity phase of R1 waves (in the northern hemisphere) or WMRG waves. Westward-moving vortices north of 4° N are often embedded in and move with R1 or WMRG waves. Examining case studies in detail, we find BVs typically extend upward to 500–400 hPa but can reach to 300 hPa, and those near the equator may not always have closed streamlines. Under vertical wind shear they may tilt, usually to the west
Optical Sectioning for Reflection Interference Microscopy: Quantitative Imaging at Soft Interfaces
Get PDFReflection interference contrast microscopy (RICM, also known as interference reflection microscopy) and related techniques have become of wide interest to the biophysical, soft matter, and biochemistry communities owing to their exquisite sensitivity for characterizing thin films or individual nanoscopic objects adsorbed onto surfaces, or for monitoring cell-substrate interactions. Over the recent years, striking progress has been made to improve the sensitivity and the quantitative analysis of RICM. Its use in more complex environments, with spurious reflections stemming from a variety of structures in the sample, remains however challenging. In this paper, we demonstrate two optical sectioning methods that effectively reduce such background and can be readily implemented in a conventional RICM setup: line confocal detection and structured illumination microscopy. We characterize experimentally the benefits to image quality and demonstrate the use of the methods for quantitative imaging of complex biological and biomimetic samples: cellular membranes, thin organic films, biofunctional surfaces. We then discuss the benefits of each method and provide guidelines to arbitrate between sectioning and signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, we provide a detailed description of our experimental setup and a home-written image acquisition and processing software that should allow the interested reader to duplicate such a setup on a home-built or commercial microscope
Investigating temperature influences on shell growth and microstructural variations in Bay scallops:Insights from multiscale microscopy
Get PDFScallops (order Pectinida) are well-known for robust and beautiful calcitic shells that protect them from external impacts and predators. Scallops respond to environmental conditions, including water temperature, salinity, and food supply, which are reflected in the shell growth rates and patterning. The Bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) is a species of high ecological and aquacultural value in North America, and its habitat may expand towards higher latitudes with inevitable global warming. To investigate the effect of water temperature on the accretion rate and the polycrystalline microstructure of the Bay scallop shell, we conducted a controlled growth experiment on juveniles, 4 weeks following their larval metamorphosis. Approximately 400 individuals, collected from a hatchery 4 weeks after metamorphosis, were then reared in reconstituted seawater for 9 weeks at 23 °C and 26 °C. At 7-, 9-, 11-, and 13-weeks post-metamorphosis, calcein was added to the water for 7 hours for fluorescent staining, and then equal batches of scallops were collected and fixed. Morphologic characterization of bay scallop shells included micro-computed X-ray tomography for 3D measurements to measure shell thickness, and fluorescent light microscopy for accretion rate assessment. We used mechanical testing of complete shells in compression to assess their stiffness, strength and toughness. Microstructural analysis of the shells included scanning electron microscopy and crystallographic analysis by electron backscattered diffraction. The scallops reared in warmer water exhibited a faster growth rate with shells showing higher calcite grain misorientation, but no difference in relative shell thickness, or shell mechanical properties. This study may help us to understand the multifarious implications of climate change
The Method of Fundamental Solutions for Optical Fluorescence
No full textIn this paper, we develop the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) for solving boundary value problems in the field of optical fluorescence. The governing system of diffusion-absorption equations for the excitation and emission fluences is transformed into a single fourth-order partial differential equation whose fundamental solution can be expressed as the difference of two fundamental solutions of the complex Helmholtz equation. The numerically obtained results confirm the accuracy of the MFS when compared with an available analytical solution. Numerical results are also provided for a physical application in optical fluorescence. Furthermore, extensions to three dimensions along with numerical verification are performed
Review of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Directed by Jamie Lloyd) at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 14 December 2024
No full textUltrasound-assisted continuous aqueous synthesis of sulfonate, imidazolate, and carboxylate MOFs with high space time yield
Get PDFThe boom in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for applications from chemical separations and gas storage to membranes for energy conversion and storage has stimulated interest in scalable MOF production methods. Combining the increased heat and mass transfer of flow reactors with the enhanced mixing and nucleation rates of sono-chemical synthesis, we developed an ultrasound-assisted two-phase flow platform for the aqueous synthesis of MOFs spanning three ligand chemistries, sulfonate Ca-NDS (water), imidazolate ZIF-8, and carboxylate UiO-66-NH2. We show that this reactor does not foul, facilitating continuous operation at an STY of 3.4 × 104 (±1 × 103) kg m−3 day−1 of proton-conducting Ca-NDS (water). ZIF-8 and UiO-66-NH2 MOFs prepared in ultrasound-assisted flow with smaller, uniform particle sizes exhibited matched or superior gas sorption to those made in batch. These results highlight the potential of ultrasound-assisted flow synthesis for MOFs, offering enhanced nucleation alongside process intensification, and paving the way for more efficient MOF production
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