•Power management algorithm (PMA) prioritizes PV&hybrid storage use instead of grid.•Novel PMA for increased PV self-consumption and self-sufficiency of the building.•Twelve different cases depending ...on PV and load power, and availability of storage.•Supercapacitor handles rapid changes within 0.2 s, hence battery is relieved.•Results show effective power sharing and fast response for different scenarios.
The increasing penetration of renewable energy technologies causes major problems in the power network, as their generation cannot be totally predicted. Along with fluctuations in the generation of renewables due to weather uncertainties, storage is very important for mitigating several problems that may arise, affecting the stability and reliability of the grid. In particular, in recent years there has been an emphasis on residential storage applications (behind-the-meter storage), with the aim of increasing the energy self-consumption and therefore reducing electricity bills. The proposed model consists of a 3 kWp rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system connected to the grid through converters and a battery-supercapacitor hybrid energy storage system. The model is developed and simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink software environment, based on mathematical analysis and average modeling. The supercapacitor handles rapid changes that occur within 0.2 s, and this can relieve the battery stress and extend the battery lifetime. The building’s electricity demand is satisfied through the PV, hybrid energy storage and/or grid. A new filtration-based power management algorithm (PMA) is proposed here, prioritizing the utilization of the PV and battery-supercapacitor instead of the grid, thus achieving a reduced power exchange between the building and the grid and increasing the PV self-consumption and self-sufficiency of the building. The dynamic performance of the proposed model is verified through several simulations over short time periods (10–30 s) for different scenarios that could occur. The obtained results show that the model works properly and responds extremely fast during the different mode transitions, exhibiting a very fast DC-bus voltage regulation with a very small ripple voltage of up to 5 V (a maximum of ± 0.625%). Additionally, both battery and supercapacitor remain between their minimum and maximum limits. Finally, an effective power sharing is achieved between the PV, the battery-supercapacitor storage, the building load and the grid.
Guided by a “logic of the situation” approach our research investigated a problematic situation in community to identify and critically reflect on how consumer marketplaces and self‐sufficiency meet ...consumption needs. In doing so, we reflect on how a situational understanding allowed the researchers to form a more complete view of how consumption needs were met in community through enabler‐led marketplaces, community‐led marketplaces and self‐sufficiency. We also re‐conceptualized our thinking as a more broadly conceived hybrid consumer marketplace to reflect our more complete understanding. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our more broadly conceived hybrid consumer marketplace and provide a foundation for further research into consumer marketplaces and meeting consumption needs.
Entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs), such as incubators and accelerators, are now ubiquitous. Despite this proliferation, their impact on entrepreneurs, ventures, and communities remains ...unclear, while academic research remains disjointed and largely descriptive, limiting understanding of the entrepreneurial support process and the influence of ESOs on it. Conducting a systematic review of 337 peer-reviewed articles involving five ESO forms—incubators, science parks, accelerators, maker spaces, and co-working spaces—we find that the literature’s conception of support is under-socialized such that there is a need for longitudinal, processual, and experimental examination of changes in the rich relationships between entrepreneurs and their ventures, entrepreneurs and other entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs and ESOs, and ESOs and external stakeholders. Conceiving of support as help to become self-sufficient, we offer an alternative, relational approach to research on entrepreneurial support and those organizations seeking to provide it.
Energy self‐sufficiency is an inspirational design feature of biological systems that fulfills sensory functions. Plants such as the “touch‐me‐not” and “Venus flytrap” not only sustain life by ...photosynthesis, but also execute specialized sensory responses to touch. Photosynthesis enables these organisms to sustainably harvest and expend energy, powering their sensory abilities. Photosynthesis therefore provides a promising model for self‐powered sensory devices like electronic skins (e‐skins). While the natural sensory abilities of human skin have been emulated in man‐made materials for advanced prosthetics and soft‐robotics, no previous e‐skin has incorporated phototransduction and photosensory functions that could extend the sensory abilities of human skin. A proof‐of‐concept bioelectronic device integrated with natural photosynthetic pigment‐proteins is presented that shows the ability to sense not only touch stimuli (down to 3000 Pa), but also low‐intensity ultraviolet radiation (down to 0.01 mW cm‐2) and generate an electrical power of ≈260 nW cm‐2. The scalability of this device is demonstrated through the fabrication of flexible, multipixel, bioelectronic sensors capable of touch registration and tracking. The polysensory abilities, energy self‐sufficiency, and additional nanopower generation exhibited by this bioelectronic system make it particularly promising for applications like smart e‐skins and wearable sensors, where the photogenerated power can enable remote data transmission.
Toward a self‐powered photosynthetic electronic skin, a bioelectronic sensor is developed that makes use of natural photosynthetic pigment‐protein complexes to sustain a variety of functions, including touch‐perception, UV‐detection and nanopower generation. Proof‐of‐concept multipixel devices are shown to be capable of touch registration and tracking, and applications such as UV‐sensing e‐skins are considered.
Hlavním cílem příspěvku je sledování testů soběstačnosti v časné fázi po cévní mozkové příhodě a vývoje jejich výsledků ve vztahu k tíži počátečního postižení pacientů. Pozornost je věnována hledání ...vztahu mezi rehabilitační léčbou a stavem pacientů rok po propuštění z oddělení včasné rehabilitace. Ve sledovaném souboru bylo 87 pacientů z akutních lůžkových rehabilitačních oddělení na třech různých místech České republiky. Jeden rok po propuštění bylo znovu testováno 29 z nich. Hodnoty testu soběstačnosti FIM (Functional Independence Measures) z kontrolního hodnocení statisticky významně (na hladině významnosti 0,05) korelovaly s tíží disability při přijetí na popisovaná rehabilitační lůžka. Pacienti s těžším postižením se zlepšili více než pacienti s postižením lehčím. Ke stejnému výsledku dospějeme při sledování vlivu počtu dnů, které uplynuly mezi vznikem iktu a přijetím na rehabilitační lůžka. Čím dříve byli pacienti přijati, tím většího zlepšení mohli dosáhnout (na hladině významnosti 0,05). Sledování vývoje funkčního stavu a zlepšování soběstačnosti je zcela zásadní pro indikaci rehabilitace a mapování jejích výsledků. V České republice bohužel stále ještě hledáme jednotná kritéria hodnocení disability a mnoho pacientů kvůli tomu prochází celým systémem rehabilitace bez jasného vedení.
•Various influencing factors of energy use in WWTPs are characterized.•Benchmark energy consumption in WWTPs in different countries are highlighted.•Energy recovery or saving technologies in WWTPs ...are summarized.•Recent advances in optimization of energy recovery technologies are highlighted.•Feasibility and challenges of energy self-sufficient WWTPs are explored.
Energy efficiency optimization is crucial for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) because of increasing energy costs and concerns about global climate change. Energy efficiency optimization can be achieved through a combination of energy recovery from the wastewater treatment process and energy saving-related technologies. Through these two approaches energy self-sufficiency of WWTPs is achievable, and research is underway to reduce operation costs and energy consumption and to achieve carbon neutrality. In this paper, we analyze energy consumption and recovery in WWTPs and characterize the factors that influence energy use in WWTPs, including treatment techniques, treatment capacities, and regional differences. Recent advances in the optimization of energy recovery technologies and theoretical analysis models for the analysis of different technological solutions are presented. Despite some challenges in implementation, such as technological barriers and high investment costs, particularly in developing countries, this paper highlights the potential for more energy self-sufficient WWTPs to be established in the future.
Reunion Island, a French overseas region in the Indian Ocean, has endorsed policies targeting food and electricity self-sufficiency. This objective implies balancing different land-uses (food, feed, ...bioelectricity, urbanisation, etc.) which we explore in a set of scenarios towards 2035. Through participatory structural analysis, we modelled drivers of change as processes using Ocelet, a spatially explicit and dynamic modelling platform. We built a detailed land-use map for our initial state and calibrated relevant processes through four scenarios ranging from “business-as-usual” to “implementation of ambitious territory planning policies”. To improve local self-sufficiency, our results support the need for large-scale land planning policies, suggesting partial sugarcane conversion into food crops, urbanisation control, farmlands expansion onto fallows and photovoltaic increase. Our context-specific approach addresses food and electricity self-sufficiency as a whole and understands its inner dynamic and spatial processes from stakeholders’ viewpoint. Moreover, our model recognizes small-scale spatial heterogeneity and contributes to mediate controversial issues related to territory foresight and land-use planning.
•Plausible futures explored with dynamic spatial modelling and participatory foresight.•Scenarios built from drivers of change and processes identified with stakeholders.•Food and electricity self-sufficiency quantified and compared for four scenarios.•Land planning policies improve self-sufficiency since land availability is critical.
Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) utilizes Fenton or Fenton‐like reactions to convert hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and draws extensive interest in tumor therapy. ...Nevertheless, high concentrations of glutathione (GSH) and insufficient endogenous H2O2 often cause unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a GSH‐depleting and H2O2 self‐providing carrier‐free nanomedicine that can efficiently load indocyanine green (ICG), β‐lapachone (LAP), and copper ion (Cu2+) (ICG‐Cu2+‐LAP, LICN) to mediate synergetic photothermal and chemotherapy in enhanced chemodynamic therapy is designed. The results show that LICNs successfully enter tumors owing to the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Through the reductive intracellular environment, Cu2+ in LICN can react with intracellular GSH, alleviate the antioxidant capacity of tumor tissues, and trigger the release of drugs. When LICN is subjected to near‐infrared (NIR) irradiation, enhanced photothermal effect and upregulated expression of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase‐1 (NQO1) are observed. Meanwhile, the released LAP not only supports chemotherapy but also catalyzes NQO1 and produces sufficient endogenous H2O2, thereby increasing the efficiency of Cu+‐based Fenton‐like reaction. Notably, GSH depletion and H2O2 self‐sufficiency generate sufficient •OH and kill tumor cells with high specificity. Overall, the study provides an innovative strategy to self‐regulate GSH and H2O2 levels for effective anticancer therapy.
A GSH‐depleting, H2O2 self‐providing carrier‐free nanomedicine that can efficiently load the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG), chemotherapeutic drug β‐lapachone (LAP), and Cu2+ (ICG‐Cu2+‐LAP, LICN) to mediate synergetic photothermal and chemotherapy in enhanced chemodynamic therapy is discussed. The results show that LICNs can deplete GSH, supply H2O2, and generate sufficient·•OH to kill tumor cells with high specificity in vitro and in vivo.
Cropping is responsible for substantial emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) worldwide through the use of fertilizers and through expansion of agricultural land and associated carbon losses. ...Especially in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), GHG emissions from these processes might increase steeply in coming decades, due to tripling demand for food until 2050 to match the steep population growth. This study assesses the impact of achieving cereal self‐sufficiency by the year 2050 for 10 SSA countries on GHG emissions related to different scenarios of increasing cereal production, ranging from intensifying production to agricultural area expansion. We also assessed different nutrient management variants in the intensification. Our analysis revealed that irrespective of intensification or extensification, GHG emissions of the 10 countries jointly are at least 50% higher in 2050 than in 2015. Intensification will come, depending on the nutrient use efficiency achieved, with large increases in nutrient inputs and associated GHG emissions. However, matching food demand through conversion of forest and grasslands to cereal area likely results in much higher GHG emissions. Moreover, many countries lack enough suitable land for cereal expansion to match food demand. In addition, we analysed the uncertainty in our GHG estimates and found that it is caused primarily by uncertainty in the IPCC Tier 1 coefficient for direct N2O emissions, and by the agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (N‐AE). In conclusion, intensification scenarios are clearly superior to expansion scenarios in terms of climate change mitigation, but only if current N‐AE is increased to levels commonly achieved in, for example, the United States, and which have been demonstrated to be feasible in some locations in SSA. As such, intensifying cereal production with good agronomy and nutrient management is essential to moderate inevitable increases in GHG emissions. Sustainably increasing crop production in SSA is therefore a daunting challenge in the coming decades.
Food production in sub‐Saharan Africa needs to rise steeply to keep up with food demands. Self‐sufficiency can be achieved by either intensifying or expanding agricultural land. Our study provides insights into the consequences of these on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions towards 2050. We show that GHG emissions from cereal production (including emissions from fertilizer use and land use change) will increase in all scenarios. Intensifying cereal cropping with efficient use of nutrients will lead to less GHG emissions than expanding cereal cropping into forest areas.
PDF
