Geographic aggregation of wind power—an optimization methodology for avoiding low outputs

This work investigates macro‐geographic allocation as a means to improve the performance of aggregated wind power output. The focus is on the spatial smoothing effect so as to avoid periods of low output. The work applies multi‐objective optimization, in which two measures of aggregated wind power output variation are minimized, whereas the average output is maximized. The results show that it is possible to allocate wind power so that the frequency of low outputs is substantially reduced, while maintaining the average output at around 30% of nameplate capacity, as compared with the corresponding output of 20% for the present allocation system. We conclude that in a future, fully electrically integrated Europe, geographic allocation can substantially reduce instances of low aggregate output, while impairing little on capacity factor and at the same time providing reduction in of short‐term jumps in output. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Natural gas reforming of carbon dioxide for syngas over Ni–Ce–Al catalysts

A series of Ni–Ce–Al composite oxides with various Ni molar contents were synthesized via the refluxed co-precipitation method and used for natural gas reforming of CO₂ (NGRC) for syngas production. The effect of Ni molar content, reaction temperature, feed gas ratio and gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) on the Ni–Ce–Al catalytic performance was investigated. The Ni₁₀CeAl catalyst was selected to undergo 30 h stability test and the conversion of CH₄ and CO₂ decreased by 2.8% and 2.6%, respectively. The characterization of the reduced and used Ni₁₀CeAl catalyst was performed using BET, H₂-TPR, in-situ XRD, TEM, and TGA-DTG techniques. The in-situ XRD results revealed that Ce₂O₃, CeO₂ and CeAlO₃ coexisted in the Ni₁₀CeAl catalyst after reduction at 850 °C for 2 h. The results of the TEM analysis revealed that the Ni particle size increased after the NGRC reaction, which mainly caused the catalyst deactivation.     

Non‐linear spatial Timoshenko beam element with curvature interpolation

The paper presents a spatial Timoshenko beam element with a total Lagrangian formulation. The element is based on curvature interpolation that is independent of the rigid‐body motion of the beam element and simplifies the formulation. The section response is derived from plane section kinematics. A two‐node beam element with constant curvature is relatively simple to formulate and exhibits excellent numerical convergence. The formulation is extended to N‐node elements with polynomial curvature interpolation. Models with moderate discretization yield results of sufficient accuracy with a small number of iterations at each load step. Generalized second‐order stress resultants are identified and the section response takes into account non‐linear material behaviour. Green–Lagrange strains are expressed in terms of section curvature and shear distortion, whose first and second variations are functions of node displacements and rotations. A symmetric tangent stiffness matrix is derived by consistent linearization and an iterative acceleration method is used to improve numerical convergence for hyperelastic materials. The comparison of analytical results with numerical simulations in the literature demonstrates the consistency, accuracy and superior numerical performance of the proposed element. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Studies of the intermolecular interactions in polypyrrole and conjugated composites based on polypyrrole

We report the effects of different intermolecular interactions on the properties of soluble dodecylbenzenesulphonate (DBS)‐doped polypyrrole (PPY) and composites. The contribution of the intermolecular interactions to the optical properties of PPY and composites has been investigated by UV‐vis transmission spectroscopy. Polymer–solvent interactions result in different chain conformations that are responsible for the changes in the absorption spectra of PPY(DBS). Some relevant differences between the filtered soluble fraction and the initial as‐synthesised PPY(DBS) are demonstrated by the IR absorption spectra. In order to study how the molecular interaction between the components affects the properties of the composite, we mix different types of polymers: (i) doped polypyrrole and an undoped highly fluorescent polymer (methyl‐substituted ladder‐type polyparaphenylene, m‐LPPP); (ii) doped polypyrrole and an electronically inert polymer (polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA). The changes induced by high pressures on the absorption spectra of PPY(DBS) and m‐LPPP/PMMA/PPY(DBS) are discussed in terms of chain conformation changes and dipolar–dipolar interactions. The fast magic angle spinning (MAS) spectra of PPY(DBS) provide a structural and dynamical investigation on conjugated polymers based on ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Segmented network structures for the separation of water/ethanol mixtures by pervaporation

α,ω-Acrylate terminated poly(1,3-dioxolane) (polyDXL), was used as a hydrophilic cross-linker of hydrophobic poly(methyl methacrylate) (polyMMA) chains for the synthesis of amphiphilic AB-block copolymer networks. The application of these segmented networks as membranes for dehydration of water/ethanol mixtures by the pervaporation technique was investigated. Because the cross-links inhibit to a great extent phase separation between the components of these materials, as revealed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, an optimal control of the membrane characteristics could be achieved by variation of the hydrophilicity–hydrophobicity balance and the cross-link density. The combination of desorption experiments, determination of swelling degrees and calculation of deviation coefficients (ε) allowed us to demonstrate in these membranes the existence of a so-called coupling effect. It was shown that polyDXL plays a predominant role in the specific interactions between the membrane and the solvents, which cause the preferential water transport in all the membranes over the whole composition range of the feed mixture. © 1998 SCI.     

Enhanced Muscle Strength in Dyslipidemic Mice and Its Relation to Increased Capacity for Fatty Acid Oxidation

Dyslipidemia is commonly linked to skeletal muscle dysfunction, accumulation of intramyocellular lipids, and insulin resistance. However, our previous research indicated that dyslipidemia in apolipoprotein E and low-density lipoprotein receptor double knock-out mice (ApoE/LDLR -/-) leads to improvement of exercise capacity. This study aimed to investigate in detail skeletal muscle function and metabolism in these dyslipidemic mice. We found that ApoE/LDLR -/- mice showed an increased grip strength as well as increased troponins, and Mhc2 levels in skeletal muscle. It was accompanied by the increased skeletal muscle mitochondria numbers (judged by increased citrate synthase activity) and elevated total adenine nucleotides pool. We noted increased triglycerides contents in skeletal muscles and increased serum free fatty acids (FFA) levels in ApoE/LDLR -/- mice. Importantly, Ranolazine mediated inhibition of FFA oxidation in ApoE/LDLR -/- mice led to the reduction of exercise capacity and total adenine nucleotides pool. Thus, this study demonstrated that increased capacity for fatty acid oxidation, an adaptive response to dyslipidemia leads to improved cellular energetics that translates to increased skeletal muscle strength and contributes to increased exercise capacity in ApoE/LDLR -/- mice.     

In Situ Generation of n-Type Dopants by Thermal Decarboxylation

Molecular doping is a powerful and increasingly popular approach toward enhancing electronic properties of organic semiconductors (OSCs) past their intrinsic limits. The development of n-type dopants has been hampered, however, by their poor stability and high air-reactivity, a consequence of their generally electron rich nature. Here, the use of air-stable carboxylated dopant precursors is reported to overcome this challenge. Active dopants are readily generated in solution by thermal decarboxylation and applied in n-type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Both 1,3-dimethylimidazolium-2-carboxylate (CO₂-DMI) and novel dopant 1,3-dimethylbenzimidazolium-2-carboxylate (CO₂-DMBI) are applied to n-type OFETs employing well-known organic semiconductors (OSCs) P(NDI2OD-T2), PCBM, and O-IDTBR. Successful improvement of performance in all devices demonstrates the versatility of the dopants across a variety of OSCs. Experimental and computational studies indicate that electron transfer from the dopant to the host OSC is preceded by decarboxylation of the precursor, followed by dimerization to form the active dopant species. Transistor studies highlight CO₂-DMBI as the most effective dopant, improving electron mobility by up to one order of magnitude, while CO₂-DMI holds the advantage of commercial availability.     

Glucose variability in maintenance hemodialysis patients with type 2 diabetes: Comparison of dialysis and nondialysis days

Introduction

Hemodialysis (HD) induces several physiological changes that can affect plasma glucose levels in patients with diabetes and in turn their glycemic control. Studies using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to assess glucose variations on dialysis days compared with nondialysis days report conflicting results. Here, we used CGM to examine glucose variations induced by HD in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing maintenance HD were included. CGM (Ipro2®, Medtronic) was performed at baseline and Week 4, 8, 12, and 16 for up to 7 days at each visit. CGM profiles on days where participants received HD were compared with days without HD using a linear mixed model.

Findings

Twenty-seven patients were included. The median number of CGM days performed was 8 (interquartile range [IQR] 6–10) for dialysis days and 16 (IQR 12–17) for nondialysis days. The median sensor glucose was 9.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.8–10.2) mmol/L on dialysis days compared with 9.5 (95% CI 8.9–10.2) mmol/L on nondialysis days (p = 0.58). Nocturnal mean sensor glucose was higher on dialysis days compared with nondialysis days: 8.8 (95% CI 8.0–9.6) mmol/L versus 8.4 (95% CI 7.7–9.2) mmol/L (p = 0.029).

Discussion

Similar median sensor glucose values were found for days on and off HD. Nocturnal glucose levels were modestly increased on dialysis days. Our findings indicate that antidiabetic treatment does not need to be differentiated on dialysis versus nondialysis days in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing maintenance HD.     

Recyclability Studies on Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PLA/PBSA) Biobased and Biodegradable Films

Poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PLA/PBSA) blends are found promising for film packaging applications because of their flexibility, resistance, and compostability. Industrially extruded granules and films based on PLA and containing different amounts of PBSA are reprocessed through mini-extrusion, to simulate recycling, and tested in terms of their melt flow rate as a function of PBSA content. Moreover, pure PLA commercial granules and the film produced extruding the PLA/PBSA 60/40 blend are reprocessed several times by injection molding and characterized in terms of melt flow rate, mechanical properties, thermal properties, and color as a function of injection molding cycles. The variation in melt fluidity and thermo-mechanical properties is negligible up to 3 injection molding cycles for both pure PLA granules and PLA/PBSA blend. In the case of blend the change in color (yellowing and darkening) is more evident and slight local compositional change in injection molded items can be evidenced as well as a slight decrease in PBS crystallinity as a function of injection molding cycles. Nevertheless, in applications where these aspects are not critical, these materials can be recycled by extrusion or injection molding before being composted, thus prolonging their life cycle and storing carbon in them as longer as possible.     

A software-based measurement system for testing and analysis of automotive brake squeal

A software-based measurement system using both analogue data acquisition and digital communication via a general-purpose interface bus (GPIB) board has been developed for analysis and evaluation of disc brake squeal. The system is built around a computer and based on commercial software. Brake pressure and torque, rotational speed, five different temperatures, and sound emission are logged once a second. If the sound is characterised as a squeal it is saved to file together with the other parameters. The measurement system is very flexible, allowing for different types of instruments and sensors to be used by adapting the software. Furthermore, the same software is used for evaluation of the collected data. Mechanically, the equipment consists of a complete front wheel suspension where the original brake disc and caliper are mounted in a steel tube chassis. The brake disc is driven by a DC electric motor, while a hydraulic system provides the brake pressure. Brake pressure and rotational speed can be controlled independently.