The EU has undertaken a thorough reform of its energy model. Current EU 2050 climate commitment sets an 80–95% GHG reduction goal. To reach this goal, the EU must make continued progress towards a ...low-carbon society. Renewable energy sources and electric vehicle play an important role for a gradual transition. The power grid faces a challenging future due to intermittency and the non-dispatchable nature of wind and solar energy production, but flexibility needs can migrate from generation to load, with the expansion of demand-side resources and storage technologies. A novel grid technique is presented and evaluated in this paper for the optimal integrated operation of renewable resources and electric vehicle to increase penetration of renewable energy. It is proposed a distribute control system to manage a charge and discharge strategy to support mismatching between load and renewable generation thru V2G technology. Demand response, peak saving and ancillary services are introduced to keep a reliable power quality, stable frequency and flatten load profile.
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•Europe 2050 low-carbon scenario based on RES and energy efficiency is reviewed.•The effects of high renewable and efficient electricity system are assessed.•A smart charging strategy for EV is presented to provide grid services.•Demand response and EV storage are analyzed to match with non-dispatchable resources.•The impact of proposed charging strategy on electric load curve is evaluated.
Abstract
The tracheobronchial tree is commonly seen to have a systematic branching symmetry, despite being known to have an asymmetrical design. Branching asymmetry allows for uniform airflow and ...provides robustness against the morphogenesis-related size variability. Here, a constructal approach is used to tracheobronchial tree analysis, and a general model based on entropy generation during breathing process is provided, which holds with asymmetric characteristics of the tree, and the change for inhaling and exhaling air. In contrast to traditional models available in the literature, the entropy generation of inspiration and expiration processes is compared for symmetry and asymmetric designs. This approach unravels the fundamental consequences of asymmetric constraint in the process of breathing and provides justification for the tracheobronchial tree having the same number of bifurcation levels as optimized symmetrical trees.
In the last 20 years, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have shown to be an effective method to solve multiobjective optimization problems (MOPs). Due to their population-based nature, multiobjective EAs ...(MOEAs) are able to generate a set of tradeoff solutions (called nondominated solutions) in a single algorithmic execution instead of having to perform a series of independent executions, as normally done with mathematical programming techniques. Additionally, MOEAs can be successfully applied to problems with difficult features such as multifrontality, discontinuity and disjoint feasible regions, among others. On the other hand, coevolutionary algorithms (CAs) are extensions of traditional EAs which have become subject of numerous studies in the last few years, particularly for dealing with large-scale global optimization problems. CAs have also been applied to the solution of MOPs, motivating the development of new algorithmic and analytical formulations that have advanced the state-of-the-art in CAs research, while simultaneously opening a new research path within MOEAs. This paper presents a critical review of the most representative coevolutionary MOEAs (CMOEAs) that have been reported in the specialized literature. This survey includes a taxonomy of approaches together with a brief description of their main features. In the final part of this paper, we also identify what we believe to be promising areas of future research in the field of CMOEAs.
•A theoretical foundation for incorporating heat effect in the fluid flow through tree-shaped networks is presented.•Flows of Newtonian and non-Newtonian power law fluids in tree-shaped networks are ...studied.•Pulsatile flows in tree-shaped networks are studied.•Scaling laws for optimal sizes of bifurcations are proposed.•Hess–Murray's law is justified and extended.
Our focus is space-filling networks to deliver and distribute flows. Here we report an analytical analysis of optimal branching networks of tubes for both fluid flow and heat transfer. This attempt results in the structural features of these networks, mainly on relationships between the size of the parent and daughter tubes at bifurcations, and the branching angles of the bifurcations. The process of construction of these networks is described for both laminar and turbulent flow, Newtonian and power-law fluids, and constant and pulsatile flows. The extended design rules obtained in this study are compared with the optimal branching rules available in the literature. Structural features of bifurcating tubes under different flow regimes are also analyzed.
•Optimal architecture of tree-shaped heat sinks is studied.•Y-assemblies of tubes and Y-assemblies of tubes filled with a packing material are studied.•Optimal size ratios and optimal angles of ...branching under different size constraints are determined.
Losses due to irreversible processes accompanying the heat and fluid flows. This paper addresses the fundamental question of what the shape of parent and offspring branches should be, to minimize the total irreversibility. I explore how the delivery of fluid and heat influences both the optimal size of Y-assemblies of tubes and Y-shaped junctions of tubes filled with a packing material, that are used as an elemental unit to construct tree-shaped flow networks. The geometric features of these constructs are obtained from the global minimization of expenditure of power associated to fluid flow and heat transfer. The optimal step factors for tube diameters and for tube lengths, and the optimal angle between the branches are obtained under different size-limiting constraints (surface area and volume). Among other results, I show that the geometrical features of the construct may be influenced by the heat flux. Besides, it is crucial to include the size-limiting requirements in agreement with goal of the system.
For similar geometries, the heat and mass transfer correlations are analogous. Then, optimal size ratios and optimal angles of branching obtained here are also valid for mass flux by replacing the heat transfer dimensionless numbers by the equivalent mass transfer numbers. The analytical expressions obtained here provide fundamental information for designers assemble the inserts that formed a tree-shaped flow network.
To review the rating scales used to evaluate usability and quality of mobile health applications, and to compare their purpose, content, and intended target users (i.e., patients, caregivers, or ...researchers).
We conducted a systematic review of the literature in accordance with the PRISMA statement on Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, IEEE Explore databases, as well as a review of the grey literature to identify rating scales used to evaluate usability and quality of mobile health applications (m-health apps), between January 1, 2000 and July 31, 2018. Two researchers screened the titles and abstracts of articles that met inclusion criteria, and retrieved usability and quality rating scales from the articles.
We identified 24 usability scales and 25 quality rating scales in 87 peer-reviewed articles. We identified only one quality rating scale designed for non-expert users (i.e., patients or caregivers). None of the studies used a theoretical framework for app evaluation to support the scales. The validity of existing quality rating scales is yet to be investigated.
Existing usability and quality rating scales are targeted at professionals, not end users who are patients or caregivers. Rating scales that are usable by all end-users would make mobile health apps accessible and meaningful to consumers.
Implications for rehabilitation
The number of mobile health applications on app stores that can be used for rehabilitation is increasing.
Most healthcare providers lack the training to identify m-health apps with high quality to be used in rehabilitation.
This study has reviewed the current rating scales that can help clinicians and care providers rate the quality of m-health apps and identify the ones that are most appropriate for their practice.
Trained innate immunity, induced via modulation of mature myeloid cells or their bone marrow progenitors, mediates sustained increased responsiveness to secondary challenges. Here, we investigated ...whether anti-tumor immunity can be enhanced through induction of trained immunity. Pre-treatment of mice with β-glucan, a fungal-derived prototypical agonist of trained immunity, resulted in diminished tumor growth. The anti-tumor effect of β-glucan-induced trained immunity was associated with transcriptomic and epigenetic rewiring of granulopoiesis and neutrophil reprogramming toward an anti-tumor phenotype; this process required type I interferon signaling irrespective of adaptive immunity in the host. Adoptive transfer of neutrophils from β-glucan-trained mice to naive recipients suppressed tumor growth in the latter in a ROS-dependent manner. Moreover, the anti-tumor effect of β-glucan-induced trained granulopoiesis was transmissible by bone marrow transplantation to recipient naive mice. Our findings identify a novel and therapeutically relevant anti-tumor facet of trained immunity involving appropriate rewiring of granulopoiesis.
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•Trained innate immunity (TII) promotes anti-tumor activity•TII is linked to transcriptomic and epigenetic rewiring of granulopoiesis•Trained granulopoiesis promotes an anti-tumor phenotype in neutrophils•Trained granulopoiesis might bear potential for cancer immunotherapy
Pre-treatment of mice with β-glucan, an agonist of trained immunity responses, leads to epigenetic changes in granulopoiesis and neutrophil function to drive anti-tumor immune responses.
Highlights • Technology readiness for smart home and health monitoring technologies is low. • High level of evidence for monitoring function, cognitive and mental health. • Minimal evidence ...technology predicts disability, prevents falls, helps quality of life. • Conflicting evidence home health technologies help conditions of COPD.
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis is a promising technology to produce green hydrogen from renewables, as it can efficiently achieve high current densities. Lowering iridium amount ...in oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysts is critical for achieving cost-effective production of green hydrogen. In this work, we develop catalysts from Ir double perovskites. Sr
2
CaIrO
6
achieves 10 mA cm
−2
at only 1.48 V. The surface of the perovskite reconstructs when immersed in an acidic electrolyte and during the first catalytic cycles, resulting in a stable surface conformed by short-range order edge-sharing IrO
6
octahedra arranged in an open structure responsible for the high performance. A proton exchange membrane water electrolysis cell is developed with Sr
2
CaIrO
6
as anode and low Ir loading (0.4 mg
Ir
cm
−2
). The cell achieves 2.40 V at 6 A cm
−2
(overload) and no loss in performance at a constant 2 A cm
−2
(nominal load). Thus, reducing Ir use without compromising efficiency and lifetime.
Adrenal incidentalomas (AI) are one of the most frequent reasons for consultation in Endocrinology, as they are present in 3–10% of the general population. Up to 20% of them may have autonomous ...cortisol secretion (ACS), a term that refers to AI carriers with biochemical evidence of excess cortisol, but without the “specific” clinical signs of Cushing’s syndrome. As ACS is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure (HBP), osteoporosis, cardiovascular events, and global mortality; its correct identification is of great importance. There are different laboratory assays to detect ACS, but all of them have some limitations. The dexamethasone suppression test is the most accepted for screening. However, there is no consensus on the cutoff point that should be used. Low levels of ACTH and DHEA-S and high urinary free cortisol are also associated with ACS, but in isolation they are of little value to establish the diagnosis. Considering its clinical implications and the lack of consensus in the diagnosis and in which is the most appropriate management of these patients, this review offers a quick reference guide of ACS, presenting an exhaustive review of the topic: its definition, epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical implications, treatment, and follow-up.
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