Charge comparison protection of transmission lines-relayingconcepts

The authors describe the relaying concepts of charge comparison. Charge comparison is a new transmission line protection system. It is a form of current differential relaying. Charge comparison largely resolves the traditional problems of current differential relaying of transmission lines, which are that protection is lost if a channel fails, a large channel capacity is required, and precise channel delay compensation is required. This technique is suitable for the protection of two- or three-terminal AC transmission lines, of all lengths and voltage levels, with or without series of shunt compensation, with three-hole or single-pole tripping     

The dielectric properties of glass-ceramic-on-metal substrates for microelectronics packaging

The dielectric properties of some glass-ceramic-on-metal substrates have been determined over the frequency range 500 Hz to 5 MHz using a.c. bridge techniques. The substrates consisted of cordierite-based glass-ceramics screen printed on molybdenum. For glass layers of thickness greater than 100 m both the permittivity, and the dielectric loss, , are frequency independent over this frequency range at room temperature giving the value of =6.5 and tan =8×10^–3; the room-temperature data are consistent with the universal law of dielectric response. The variation of permittivity with temperature has also been examined and, below 120 °C, the temperature coefficient [(–1) (+2)]^–1 (/T)_p, was found to be 1.3×10^–5 K^–1. The results are compared with those previously reported for Al₂O₃ and AIN substrates.     

The effect of combined antenatal vitamin K and phenobarbital therapy on umbilical blood coagulation studies in infants less than 34 weeks' gestation

OBJECTIVE: To determine if antenatal vitamin K and phenobarbital therapy affect coagulation studies in umbilical blood at birth, and to provide 95% reference ranges for umbilical blood coagulation parameters in premature gestations. METHODS: Patients at imminent risk for spontaneous or indicated premature delivery less than 34 weeks' gestation were randomized to receive either placebo or vitamin K and phenobarbital. Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (PTT), functional coagulation factors, and decarboxylated prothrombin assays were performed on umbilical blood specimens. Decarboxylated prothrombin, also known as "protein induced by vitamin K absence-factor II" or precursor prothrombin, is a sensitive marker for vitamin K deficiency. Standardized values of PT and PTT are reported in seconds and standardized values of factor assays in percentage of normal adult functional activity (mean +/- one standard deviation). RESULTS: Newborns in the placebo and treatment groups had similar umbilical blood PT (12.6 +/- 1.2 versus 12.7 +/- 1.4 seconds), PTT (48.8 +/- 13.4 versus 49.6 +/- 13.8 seconds), and functional activity of factor II (40.3 +/- 12.5 versus 42.0 +/- 12.1%), factor VII (67.0 +/- 20.9 versus 66.8 +/- 18.9%), factor IX (27.4 +/- 12.8 versus 25.8 +/- 8.9%), and factor X (47.0 +/- 12.8 versus 49.2 +/- 11.6%). Newborns in the treatment group were about half as likely as those in the placebo group to have detectable decarboxylated prothrombin levels in umbilical blood at birth (gestational age-adjusted odds ratio 0.47, 95% confidence interval 0.22-1.01; P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: Combined maternal therapy with vitamin K and phenobarbital before premature delivery does not affect umbilical blood PT, PTT, or functional activity of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X. However, it is associated with the reduced presence of decarboxylated prothrombin in umbilical blood at birth. There is significant improvement in umbilical blood coagulation tests as gestational age advances from 24 to 34 weeks.     

A Voltage Phasor Based Fault-classification Method for Phasor Measurement Unit Only State Estimator Output

Abstract—This article presents a fault-classification method for transmission lines based on voltage phasors using classification and regression trees. The proposed method is intended to aid system operators in understanding the outputs of a phasor measurement unit only state estimator. Faults are classified into four categories when the estimator is positive sequence and into ten categories when the estimator is three phase. The fault data are generated in PowerWorld® (PowerWorld Corporation, Champaign, IL, USA) and DSA Tools® (Powertech Labs Inc., Surrey, British Columbia, Canada). The pre-fault state consists of a variety of operating conditions and loading angles of faulted lines. The fault condition comprises different fault types, fault locations, fault impedances, and fault incidence angles. Fault classification is done using MATLAB® (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA).The approach is successfully tested on the IEEE-118 bus system. The results demonstrate that the technique developed here is effective and robust, irrespective of the pre-fault and fault conditions.     

Responses of consumers and food resources to a high magnitude,unpredicted flood in the upper Mississippi River basin

The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers experienced flooding in 1993 that fell outside the annual predictable flood period of spring and early summer. Flooding began in late June, peaked in late July (25 232 m³/s on the upper Mississippi and 21 240 m³/s on the Missouri) and remained at or near flood stage into October 1993. This study was performed to determine if disturbance by an unpredicted flood event would alter trophic dynamics of river–floodplain systems by creating shifts in the composition of organic matter available to consumers. The Ohio River, which did not flood during the same period, was examined for comparison. Stable isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen from samples collected in 1993 and 1994 were used to characterize potential food sources and determine linkages between food sources and invertebrate and fish consumers. Pairwise contrasts, performed separately for each river, indicated there were few interannual differences in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of organic matter sources and consumers. Between sample period (flood year versus normal water year) trends in both flooded rivers were similar to between‐year trends observed for the Ohio River. Trophic structure of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers was similar in both years, with fine and ultra‐fine transported organic matter and dissolved organic matter representing the major sources of organic matter. Overlapping isotopic signatures in the Missouri River made tracking of sources through the consumers difficult, but similarities in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N between years indicated trophic structure did not change in response to the flood. The results suggest that consumers continued to rely on sources of organic matter that would be used in the absence of the unpredicted 1993 flood. It is proposed that trophic structure did not change in response to flooding in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers because both rivers exhibited the same trends observed in the Ohio River. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The large scale electric power system as a distributed continuum

By modeling an electric power system of generators and transmissions lines as a continuum, a nonlinear partial differential equation is written which exhibits the travelling wave behavior that has been observed in experiments with synchronized phasor measurements. The fact that disturbances spread through the interconnected power system with a certain velocity of propagation is reasonable but not quantitatively well understood. The model relates the velocity of propagation to parameters in the distributed model. Numerical simulations of the continuum model are presented     

Importance of biotic interactions in large rivers: an experiment with planktivorous fish,dreissenid mussels and zooplankton in the St. Lawrence River

Physical conditions are usually considered pre‐eminent in controlling river plankton, but biotic interactions may be important in slackwater areas. To begin testing this general hypothesis, we conducted a 12‐day, predator–prey experiment in 3500 litre mesh enclosures in a slackwater area of the St. Lawrence River using planktivorous, juvenile yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and Dreissena mussels. Results generally supported our hypotheses that: (1) perch would directly suppress large zooplankton via predation but benefit microzooplankton through indirect interactions; and (2) dreissenids would directly depress rotifer densities via predation and have indirect negative effects on macrozooplankton. Based on gut contents of experimental fish, cladocera were the principal prey of smaller yellow perch (c. 46–50 mm), followed by copepods, ostracods, and rotifers. Larger juvenile perch (c. 67–73 mm) fed almost exclusively on copepods and ostracods. Densities of calanoid copepodids, nauplii, and some cyclopoid copepods (Diacyclops thomasi) were significantly depressed by perch, and adult Eurytemora affinis (99% of adult calanoids) essentially disappeared from fish enclosures. Despite being a favourite prey item of small perch, densities of the small cladoceran Bosmina (Sinobosmina) spp. were significantly higher when fish were present (150% greater than control densities on Day 12). Densities of the very abundant rotifer Polyarthra were >300% greater in fish enclosures than controls by Day 12, and the rotifers Synchaeta and predaceous Ploesoma were significantly more abundant in the presence of perch. Increases in rotifers and cladocera suggest indirect, positive effects of fish related to significantly higher phytoplankton biomass or decreased densities of predaceous copepods. Densities of eight of ten zooplankton groups examined declined significantly when mussels were present, and calanoid copepodids also declined but not significantly. Chlorophyll‐a concentrations were slightly lower in mussel enclosures. This evidence suggests biotic interactions play important roles among potamoplankton in slackwater habitats, but river‐wide implications of these findings require further study. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.