A robust SMES controller strategy for mitigating power and voltage fluctuations of grid-connected hybrid PV–wind generation systems

Electrical Engineering - Recently, hybrid generation systems (HGSs) are considered to be the optimal solution for supplying remote areas with the required electrical power. HGSs contain two or more...     

Composition of muscle tissue lipids of silver carp and bighead carp

Lipids have a complex role in the nutritional value of food. Some polyunsaturated fatty acids, characterized as essential, are extremely important for human health. This is primarily related to α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). Content of polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids is usually much higher in lipids of marine fish than in freshwater fish. Previous investigations have shown that muscle tissue of silver carp and bighead carp from fish farms may be a rich source of essential fatty acids. Because of that, the objective of this work was to examine contents and composition of fatty acids and total lipids in the muscle tissue of silver and bighead carp, with the aim to find out whether there are significant differences in this respect between the two species and to what extent the harvest season can influence the composition of lipids in these freshwater fish. This study showed that there is no significant difference either in the content of polyunsaturated n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, or in the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio in these two fish species. The lipids of both the silver and bighead carp from the spring harvest have significantly higher contents of the n-3 acids and a significantly lower n-6/n-3 ratio than fish from the autumn harvest.     

Comparison of Ozone-based and other (VUV and TiO2/UV) Radical Generation Methods in Phenol Decomposition

The degradation reaction kinetics and chemical mechanism of phenol decomposition by ozonation, TiO₂-photocatalysis and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photolysis were investigated. The concentration dependences of the aromatic and aliphatic intermediates and the TOC content were compared as a function of the phenol conversion. The concentration profiles and the TOC curves obtained with each method were very similar. The results suggest a similar chemical mechanism for the transformation of phenol irrespective of the starting active component (a positive hole on the surface of the catalysts, a VUV photon, ozone or the hydroxyl radical).     

UV-induced Decomposition of Ozone and Hydrogen Peroxide in the Aqueous Phase at pH 2–7

The photolysis of ozone and formation of hydrogen peroxide were investigated in solution of pH 2–7, in a 200 cm³ photoreactor in the incident photon flow range 9.6 x 10^?8 - 4.2 x 10^?7 einstein s^?1. The quantum yield of the primary photochemical reactions was measured in a direct way by suppressing the secondary radical reactions. The determined quantum yields of the photo-decompositions of ozone and hydrogen peroxide were 0.42 ± 0.042 ± 0.04 and 0.49 ± 0.04, respectively.

A correct mathematical treatment is given for calculation of the light absorption of the individual components of a multi-absorbent reaction mixture.

On the basis of the literature data and die present results, a probable chemical and reaction kinetic model was proposed to characterize the investigated reaction systems. Reaction kinetic simulations demonstrated that the model predicts a good fit to the measured data with the preferred literature rate constants, except that for the HO₃ radical decomposition reaction. A reasonable reduction of this rate coefficient value is in accordance with the latest published results.     

A sex attractant for the scarab beetle Anomala solida Er

(R,Z)-5-(-)-(Oct-1-enyl)oxacyclopentan-2-one (R-buibuilactone) attracted male Anomala solida Er. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae), a vineyard and orchard pest in Southeastern Europe. The presence of the corresponding (S) enantiomer or of 2-(E)-nonen-1-ol (a frequently found pheromone component in other Anomala spp.) in the bait did not influence catches. Traps baited with (R,Z)-5-(-)-(oct-1-enyl)oxacyclopentan-2-one were successfully used for monitoring the flight of A. solida, and may have practical applications for detection, monitoring, and mass trapping of the pest.     

pCBT/MWCNT Nanocomposites Prepared by In situ Polymerization of CBT After Solid‐Phase High‐Energy Ball Milling of CBT with MWCNT

pCBT/MWCNT nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization of CBT after solid‐phase HEBM of the polymerization catalyst containing CBT with MWCNT. The crystallinity and crystallization behavior of the pCBT nanocomposites were studied by WAXS and DSC. The MWCNTs did not affect the crystallinity of the isothermally produced pCBT significantly, but acted as nucleation agents during the crystallization of pCBT from its melt. pCBT/MWCNT nanocomposites were subjected to DMTA, static flexure, and dynamic Charpy impact tests. The flexural modulus, strength, and impact strength from these tests all went through a maximum as a function of the MWCNT content. Optimum properties were found in the MWCNT range of 0.25–0.5 wt.‐%.

     

Ala226 to Gly and Ser189 to Asp mutations convert rat chymotrypsin B to a trypsin-like protease

In a previous successful attempt to convert trypsin to a chymotrypsin-like protease, 15 residues of trypsin were replaced with the corresponding ones in chymotrypsin. This suggests a complex mechanism of substrate recognition instead of a relatively simple one that only involves three sites, residues 189, 216 and 226. However, both trypsin-->elastase and chymotrypsin-->trypsin conversion experiments carried out according to the complex model resulted in non-specific proteases with low catalytic activity. Chymotrypsin used in the latter studies was of B-type, containing an Ala residue at position 226. Trypsins, however, contain a conserved Gly at this site. The substantially decreased trypsin-like activity of the G226A trypsin mutant also suggests a specific role for this site in substrate binding. Here we investigate the role of site 226 by introducing the A226G substitution into chymotrypsin-->trypsin mutants which were constructed according to both the simple (S189D mutant) and the complex model (S(1) mutant) of specificity determination. The kinetic parameters show that the A226G substitution in the S(1) mutant increased the chymotrypsin-like activity, while the trypsin-like activity did not change. In contrast, this substitution in the S189D chymotrypsin mutant resulted in a 100-fold increase in trypsin-like activity and a trypsin-like specificity profile as tested on a competing oligopeptide substrate library. Additionally, the S189D+A226G mutant is the first trypsin-like chymotrypsin that undergoes autoactivation, an exclusive property of trypsinogen among pancreatic serine proteases.     

Preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl chloride)–continuous carbon fiber composites

In this article, we report on the preparation and characterization of novel poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)–carbon fiber (CF) composites. We achieved the reinforcement of PVC matrices with different plasticizer contents using unidirectional continuous CFs by applying a warm press and a cylinder press for the preparation of the PVC–CF composites. We achieved considerable reinforcement of PVC even at a relatively low CF content; for example, the maximum stress (σ_max) of the PVC–CF composite at a 3% CF content was found to be 1.5–2 times higher than that of the PVC matrix. There were great differences among the Young's modulus values of the pure PVC and PVC–CF composites matrices. The absolute Young's modulus values were in the range 1100–1300 MPa at a 3% CF content; these values were almost independent of the plasticizer content. In addition, we found a linear relationship between σ_max and the CF content and also recognized a linear variation of the Young's modulus with the CF content. The adhesion of CF to the PVC matrix was strong in each case, as concluded from the strain–stress curves and the light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigations. The mechanical properties of the PVC–CF composites with randomly oriented short (10 mm) fibers were also investigated. At low deformations, the stiffness of the composites improved with increasing CF content. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was used to determine the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the PVC–CF composites. The high increase in the Young's modulus entailed only a mild T_g increase. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Road to a reactive and incremental model transformation platform: three generations of the VIATRA framework

The current release of VIATRA provides open-source tool support for an event-driven, reactive model transformation engine built on top of highly scalable incremental graph queries for models with millions of elements and advanced features such as rule-based design space exploration complex event processing or model obfuscation. However, the history of the VIATRA model transformation framework dates back to over 16 years. Starting as an early academic research prototype as part of the M.Sc project of the the first author it first evolved into a Prolog-based engine followed by a family of open-source projects which by now matured into a component integrated into various industrial and open-source tools and deployed over multiple technologies. This invited paper briefly overviews the evolution of the VIATRA/IncQuery family by highlighting key features and illustrating main transformation concepts along an open case study influenced by an industrial project.