Conventional Mode Research Articles

Adoptability assessment of HCDI and RCCI modes in plug-in parallel hybrid electric vehicles using sustainable fuels and model-based torque structure calibration strategies

In this research, a comparative analysis of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) engine was conducted with two advanced low temperature combustion (LTC) techniques viz. Homogeneous charge with direct injection (HCDI) and reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI), utilizing alternative fuels diethyl ether (DEE) and ethanol. This was attempted to exhibit the promising potential of LTC based PHEV to achieve the highest efficiency and low emissions. The experimental results disclosed that DEE powered HCDI can achieve superior thermal efficiency with an impressive peak torque of 14 Nm. On the other hand, ethanol powered RCCI produced a peak torque of 17.5 Nm with remarkable emission reduction characteristics, especially CO2. It was vindicated that HCDI-PHEV outperformed the RCCI-PHEV in terms of fuel economy despite both HCDI and RCCI being lower than the conventional diesel PHEV. The NOx emissions from HCDI were almost negligible. About 20 % lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions were recorded for RCCI respectively as compared to diesel (36 g/s). HCDI and RCCI showcased about 2 and 1.3 times higher soot emissions than diesel (7.12 g/s). Fuel economy was improved by 15 % and 43 % respectively under HCDI and RCCI modes over the conventional diesel mode of PHEV operation. When the PHEV was operated continuously for about 3.5 h, the battery's SOC dropped from 80 % to 45 % under diesel operation, whereas it only reached 50 % and 60 % under RCCI and HCDI mode operation. Low fuel consumption characteristics, acceptable torque production capabilities and ultralow NOx reduction potential established HCDI as the preferable choice for PHEV over RCCI.

Research on the impact and mechanism of digital economy on the development of new quality productivity: an empirical analysis based on provincial panel data from 2012 to 2022

With the continuous advancement of science and technology and the profound development of globalization, the conventional mode of economic growth and productivity's developmental trajectory have become inadequate to meet the demands of modern society. Consequently, innovation has emerged as a pivotal driving force for promoting economic and social progress, with new quality productivity being a significant outcome in this context. Drawing on provincial panel data from 2012 to 2022, this study explores the influence of the digital economy on new quality productivity's development and its underlying mechanisms. The findings demonstrate that the digital economy substantially fosters the advancement of new quality productivity, which remains valid even after conducting endogeneity tests. Mechanism analysis reveals that housing prices and social consumption levels exert notable regulatory effects on how the digital economy promotes new quality productivity's development: housing prices negatively regulate such promotion while social consumption levels play a positive adjusting role in their causal relationship. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that at both ends of China (Eastern and Western regions) as well as within industries characterized by medium-level structures, higher levels of digital economy significantly promote local advancements in new quality productivity. This investigation contributes to enhancing our understanding regarding the impacts, mechanisms, and regional disparities associated with developing new quality productivity through leveraging the potential offered by digital economy.

Effervescence tablets based on magnetic ionic liquids as simple microdevices for the in situ dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of urinary biomarkers

BackgroundMagnetic ionic liquids (MILs) have been explored in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). Their usage allows to substitute centrifugation and/or filtration steps by a quick magnetic separation. Besides, effervescence-assisted DLLME is one of the most known options to improve the dispersion of the extractant in the sample, while allowing to avoid the consumption of external energy during dispersion. Despite these interesting features, only one study incorporates MILs containing the tetrachloroferrate anion in effervescence tablets. These MILs are highly viscous and liquid at room temperature, thus compromising the stability of the tablets when used as extraction microdevices in effervescence-assisted DLLME, and only allowing their use in the conventional MIL-DLLME mode. ResultsA new class of effervescence tablets containing a Ni(II)-based MIL, that is solid at room temperature, is here proposed. This type of tablets permits their use, for first time, in the in situ DLLME mode, occurring through the transformation of a water-soluble MIL into a water-insoluble MIL microdroplet. This way, the tablet formulation included: the MIL, the metathesis reagent lithium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, NaH2PO4 and K2CO3 as effervescence precursors salts, and Na2SO4 as salting-out and desiccating agent. The method is combined with high-performance liquid-chromatography and both fluorescence and ultraviolet detection, for the determination of monohydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) and benzophenones (BPs), as biomarkers in urine. The method simply involved the addition of the effervescence tablet to the sample, thus taken place simultaneously the effervescence process and the metathesis reaction, without requiring any external energy consumption. The method presented limits of detection down to 10 ng L−1 for OH-PAHs and to 0.60 μg L−1 for BPs, inter-day relative standard deviations lower than 17 %, and average relative recoveries of 94 % in urine. The determined OH-PAHs contents in urine were between 0.40 and 16 μg L−1, and between 17.8 and 334 μg L−1 for BPs. SignificanceWe have developed the first MIL-based effervescence tablets that are completely solid, thus improving the stability and robustness of these microdevices with respect to previously reported tablets involving MILs, while permitting to perform into the in situ DLLME mode (thus gaining in extraction efficiency). This approach including the MIL-based effervescence tablets constitutes an alternative on-site platform for the analysis of urine, as satisfactory precision, accuracy, and sensitivity are achieved despite not involving any external energy input within the analytical sample preparation setup. This method also constitutes the first application of MIL-based effervescence tablets for bioanalysis.

Experimental research on wide load operation characteristics of circulating fluidized bed under the action of high-temperature activated gas-solid binary fuels

The circulating fluidized bed (CFB) units, with their robust combustion stability under low load conditions, are poised to play a significant role in future deep peak shaving of power grids. However, issues such as NOx emissions exceedance arise when the CFB unit operates for deep peak shaving. To mitigate these problems, this paper innovatively proposes a CFB coal blended with the high-temperature activated gas-solid binary fuel combustion mode to reduce the NOx emissions of the CFB across a wide load range. The wide load operation characteristics of the CFB under the action of high-temperature activated gas-solid binary fuel were initially examined on a 2 MW experimental platform. A comparison between the conventional combustion mode and the CFB coal blended with high-temperature activated gas-solid binary fuel combustion mode revealed that the latter improved the uniformity of temperature distribution within the CFB across a wide load range, particularly at lower loads. Furthermore, the CFB coal blended with high-temperature activated gas-solid binary fuel significantly reduced the original NOx emissions, decreasing from 136.9 mg/m3, 37.5 mg/m3, and 38.8 mg/m3 to 92.0 mg/m3, 24.7 mg/m3 and 20.6 mg/m3 at 100 %, 50 %, and 30 % load respectively, thereby achieving ultralow original NOx emissions during deep peak shaving operations. However, there is room for improvement in enhancing combustion efficiency using this combustion mode.

Screw transmission structure based triboelectric–electromagnetic hybridized generator for efficiently harvesting energy from a single mechanical stimulation

Among various electromechanical conversion technologies, the triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid generator (TEHG) stands out with its capacity to operate across a wider frequency range. Nevertheless, extracting more electricity from a single mechanical stimulation remains a significant challenge. In this work, we propose a screw transmission structure based TEHG (ST-TEHG) that converts the contact-separation motion into continuous rotation. This transformation enables the device to produce multiple pulse outputs in both compression and rebound processes. Specifically, the threaded barrel is designed to rotate continuously under the action of the pressing lever. Excess energy is stored as elastic potential energy in the tower spring, which then initiates the threaded barrel’s reverse rotation upon the release of external force. Through systematical optimization of the screw transmission structure and device’s performances, ST-TEHG achieves an energy utilization efficiency that is 70.86 times than the device with conventional contact-separation mode in an operating cycle. The developed ST-TEHG demonstrates promising applications in smart factories for indoor conditions monitoring, such as temperature and humidity, assembly line monitoring, and hazardous zones warning. This screw transmission structure sets a precedent for highly efficient mechanical energy harvesting, propelling the practical advancement of hybrid generators.

Light-Driven Ionic and Molecular Transport through Atomically Thin Single Nanopores in MoS2/WS2 Heterobilayers.

Nanofluidic ionic and molecular transport through atomically thin nanopore membranes attracts broad research interest from both scientific and industrial communities for environmental, healthcare, and energy-related technologies. To mimic the biological ion pumping functions, recently, light-induced and quantum effect-facilitated charge separation in heterogeneous 2D-material assemblies is proposed as the fourth type of driving force to achieve active and noninvasive transport of ionic species through synthetic membrane materials. However, to date, engineering versatile van der Waals heterostructures into 2D nanopore membranes remains largely unexplored. Herein, we fabricate single nanopores in heterobilayer transition metal dichalcogenide membranes with helium ion beam irradiation and demonstrate the light-driven ionic transport and molecular translocation phenomena through the atomically thin nanopores. Experimental and simulation results further elucidate the driving mechanism as the photoinduced near-pore electric potential difference due to type II band alignment of the semiconducting WS2 and MoS2 monolayers. The strength of the photoinduced localized electric field near the pore region can be approximately 1.5 times stronger than that of its counterpart under the conventional voltage-driven mode. Consequently, the light-driven mode offers better spatial resolution for single-molecule detection. Light-driven ionic and molecular transport through nanopores in van der Waals heterojunction membranes anticipates transformative working principles for next-generation biomolecular sequencing and gives rise to fascinating opportunities for light-to-chemical energy harvesting nanosystems.

Electrofiltration-Enabled Nitrate Reduction Reactivity of Carbon Nanotube Electrified Membrane for Drinking Water Treatment

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction could enable nitrate removal in drinking water without generating concentrated waste streams. However, current processes heavily rely upon metal catalysts with high activity to achieve sufficient nitrate removal, which increases treatment costs and can inevitably lead to leaching of metals into treated water. In this study, we elucidate how electrified filtration enables sufficient nitrate conversion to meet drinking water standards in metal-free defective CNTs by tunable matching of mass transport and reaction timescales. The metal-free carbon nanotube (CNT)-based electrified membrane (EM) was employed as a porous flow-through cathode to decrease the diffusion boundary layer. Computational fluid dynamics simulations revealed that the flow-through mode mitigates diffusion limitations to enhance overall reaction activity, as compared to the conventional flow-by mode at the same flow rate. Additionally, the nitrate reduction rate could be tuned by controlling the nitrate advection rate using permeate flux (0 to 60 L h-1 m-2). A maximum removal efficiency of 86.9% was reached when the mass transport rate matched the reaction rate across a range of applied potentials. Furthermore, defects in CNTs were identified as the catalytic active sites. We employed density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations to gain insight into CNT defect-catalyzed nitrate reduction under electrofiltration. Finally, the long-term stability, tolerance of environmental interferences, and sufficient nitrate removal and N2 selectivity to meet drinking water standards were demonstrated in synthetic surface water, suggesting that the CNT-EM and flow-through reactor may provide a promising solution for decentralized nitrate destruction in drinking water.

Green Hydrogen Production Using Manganese – Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

The redox flow batteries (RFBs) can be tuned to allow mining of surplus energy capacity and supplement green hydrogen economy as a one-stop station [1, 2].With this concept, an RFB can undergo two sequential discharging modes: i) electrochemical discharge of redox active species, and ii) chemical discharge to produce hydrogen gas, when surplus electricity is available, on the surface of electrocatalysts contained in additional external tanks (i.e., dual circuit RFB) [3, 4]. Herein, electrolytes with Mn3+/Mn2+ (RFB catholyte ~ 1.5 V vs. SHE) and V3+/V2+ (RFB anolyte ~ −0.26 V vs. SHE) redox species are flown to spatially separated external catalytic reactors to drive redox mediated water electrolysis. The fully charged V2+ redox mediator in the anolyte provides electrons to achieve hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and thereby itself gets discharged to V3+ redox state before circulating back to flow battery tanks.Considering the additional layer of redox-mediated water electrolysis, it is imperative to identify benchmark cycling performance for a robust dual circuit RFB operation. In the first phase of our study, electrochemical behavior of Mn3+/Mn2+ redox couple in the favorable presence of V5+ as an additive was elucidated using ultramicroelectrode voltammograms. Despite significant performance enhancement, capacity fade during galvanostatic cycling could not be fully eliminated owing to Mn3+ disproportionation reaction and manganese crossover. Also, charge/discharge cycling profiles suggest that the inevitable Mn3+ disproportionation affects the true state-of-charge in electrolytes which in turn hinders their potential to generate hydrogen gas. Working towards hydrogen generation, our recent efforts have been to evaluate kinetics for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on different carbon substrate – electrocatalyst combinations in acidic V3+/V2+ environment. Overall, this study aims to provide a profound understanding of reliable operating conditions to establish a synergy between Mn3+ disproportionation during the conventional energy storage mode and the total volume of hydrogen gas produced during the secondary mode. References Reynard, D. and H. Girault, Combined hydrogen production and electricity storage using a vanadium-manganese redox dual-flow battery. Cell Reports Physical Science, 2021. 2(9): p. 100556. Amstutz, V., et al., Renewable hydrogen generation from a dual-circuit redox flow battery. Energy & Environmental Science, 2014. 7(7): p. 2350-2358. Peljo, P., et al., All-vanadium dual circuit redox flow battery for renewable hydrogen generation and desulfurisation. Green Chemistry, 2016. 18(6): p. 1785-1797. Piwek, J., et al., Vanadium-oxygen cell for positive electrolyte discharge in dual-circuit vanadium redox flow battery. Journal of Power Sources, 2019. 439: p. 227075.

Nanoscale Drag Reduction Effect Enables Efficient Fog Harvesting

AbstractSurfaces with macro‐scale hydrophilic/hydrophobic regions (conventional Janus mode) are often considered as prime candidates for fog harvesting. However, the water collection efficiency of such surfaces frequently fails to meet the requirements of practical applications due to the occurrence of surface flooding caused by water droplet pinning. Here, an in situ molecular confined modification strategy is proposed to construct upgraded Janus mode for achieving nanoscale drag reduction effect, thereby improving the fog collection efficiency. Specifically, nanoscale hydrophilic sites are designed to effectively reduce the critical volume size required for water droplets to slide off, thus avoiding the surface flooding. Fibers with upgraded Janus mode (PAN‐TO) realize a water collection rate of 4035 mg cm−2 h−1, markedly exceeding that of most materials with conventional Janus mode. Moreover, the high interface bonding strength between hydrophilic sites and the material surface can withstand the impact of water and sand flushing, ensuring the long‐term usability of the material. The applications of PAN‐TO fibers in irrigation and dyeing are demonstrated. This work shows a nanoscale surface engineering proposal for building a next‐generation fibrous fog harvesting device.

Improving oxygenation in a patient with respiratory failure due to morbid obesity by applying airway pressure release ventilation: a case report

IntroductionMorbidly obese patients occasionally have respiratory problems owing to hypoventilation. Airway pressure release ventilation is one of the ventilation settings often used for respiratory management of acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, previous reports indicating that airway pressure release ventilation may become a therapeutic measure as ventilator management in morbid obesity with respiratory failure is limited. We report a case of markedly improved oxygenation in a morbidly obese patient after airway pressure release ventilation application.Case reportA 50s-year-old Asian man (body mass index 41 kg/m2) presented with breathing difficulties. The patient had respiratory failure with a PaO2/FIO2 ratio of approximately 100 and severe atelectasis in the left lung, and ventilator management was initiated. Although the patient was managed on a conventional ventilate mode, oxygenation did not improve. On day 11, we changed the ventilation setting to airway pressure release ventilation, which showed marked improvement in oxygenation with a PaO2/FIO2 ratio of approximately 300. We could reduce sedative medication and apply respiratory rehabilitation. The patient was weaned from the ventilator on day 29 and transferred to another hospital for further rehabilitation on day 31.ConclusionAirway pressure release ventilation ventilator management in morbidly obese patients may contribute to improving oxygenation and become one of the direct therapeutic measures in the early stage of critical care.

Study on the Effect of Multi-Gap Arrester Truncation on the Overvoltage of Lightning Intrusion Wave

Lightning protection near the fan is the key point of lightning protection in wind farm, which affects the safe and effective delivery of wind power resources. At present, the three-phase multi-gap arrester installed on a base tower behind the collector can cooperate with the zinc oxide arrester to reduce the system failure caused by the arrester failure. However, the chopped wave generated by the multi-gap arrester when it acts is transmitted to the fan box transformer along the line, which may threaten the insulation of the transformer winding. Based on the above problems, this paper builds a simulation model on ATP to analyze the impact of wave clipping of multi-gap arrester on the insulation of fan transformer windings, considers the conventional installation mode and the limit installation mode of multi-gap arrester, and calculates that the wave clipping overvoltage generated by multi-gap arrester after being struck by lightning in two cases is the impact on the insulation of fan transformer. Through the simulation analysis, it is found that the higher the amplitude of the lightning current, the larger the amplitude of the overvoltage generated by the truncated wave, the steeper the wave head, and the greater the threat to the insulation of the fan box. The damage degree of round lightning is less than that of counter lightning. When a multi-gap arrester is installed in a collector tower, the 100[Formula: see text]kA lightning current may destroy the insulation of the fan box transformer winding and require additional protective measures. It is recommended that the multi-gap arrester be installed from the next pole tower of the collector tower in the wind farm.

Systematic comparison of deep-learning based fusion strategies for multi-modal ultrasound in diagnosis of liver cancer

For the diagnosis of liver cancer, conventional brightness mode (B-mode) can only provide morphological information. Multi-modal ultrasound, including shear-wave elastography (SWE) and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), can provide comprehensive diagnostic information on tumor microenvironment and tissue perfusion. The challenge is to effectively explore the multi-modal features of ultrasound. Besides, there are many fusion strategies currently available, but there is a lack of systematic comparative research on the various fusion strategies. In this study, we designed 'Lesions Pairing' to construct the dataset, addressing the challenge of small sample sizes in multi-modal learning. We then compared the effectiveness of different strategies and proposed hybrid-fusion strategies based on the combination of conventional layer-level fusion (i.e. early-fusion, mid-fusion and late-fusion), which can efficiently extract intra-/inter- modal information. Specifically, we first systematically compared different deep-learning-based fusion strategies for multi-modal ultrasound in the diagnosis of liver cancer. Secondly, based on the comparison results of a multimodal framework that integrates B-mode, SWE, CEUS ultrasound data, and clinical data simultaneously, we propose a hybrid-fusion strategies for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The experimental results showed that the area under the curve of the early-late fusion strategy combined with clinical data was 0.9854, which was superior to other single mode and other fusion strategies, increasing by 13.8–25.88 % and 2.22 %-9.79 %, respectively.

Ambient Temperature Effects on Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

The ambient temperature affects the operation of different powertrain systems, including electric, hybrid electric, and internal combustion engines. This study investigated the effect of the ambient temperature on the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle running in different powertrain modes. The vehicle was driven for 4150 km following a selected route 199 times in different powertrain modes and in different ambient temperatures ranging from −24 °C to 32 °C. Instantaneous and cumulative fuel consumptions were measured using a fuel flow meter, and the battery energy usage was determined from the vehicle telematics during each test. The total energy consumption and total CO2 emissions were affected by the ambient temperature in all powertrain modes, including electric, hybrid electric (charge-depleting and charge-sustaining), and conventional internal combustion engine modes. The highest increase was associated with the charge-depleting hybrid electric mode, with 350% and 290% increases in energy consumption and CO2 emissions when the ambient temperature dropped from 29 °C to −24 °C. The conventional internal combustion engine mode was the least affected, with only 7% and 8% increased in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, respectively.

Reliability Analysis of Modular Multilevel Converters in MVDC Applications

In modular multilevel converters (MMCs) designed for medium-voltage DC (MVDC) systems, since the required sub-modules (SMs) in one arm are fewer, the converters cannot afford the same level of redundancy as observed in high-voltage DC (HVDC) applications. In order to ensure high availability of converters in MVDC systems, reliability becomes a challenge and requires different design approaches. Considering the redundancy design, operating modes, and correlation across failures of SMs in one arm, this paper analyses and compares reliability in MMCs for MVDC systems with multiple SM topologies. Under different scenarios in MVDC systems, SM topologies with better performance of reliability have been identified in this research. It is demonstrated that, for a given output voltage in converters, three-level SMs generally provide higher reliability than two-level SMs. By implementing passive and load-sharing operation schemes in converters, the MMC reliability can be improved compared with the conventional active mode. In terms of the correlation between lifetime of SMs in the same arm, the smaller disturbance introduced by one faulty SM promotes the improvement of converter reliability. Also, the correlation between failures of SMs in one arm has greater effects on the reliability of an MMC with higher level of redundancy. The outcomes of this work contribute to the optimisation of converter design and operation with high reliability and low investment for an MMC in MVDC systems.

POStoperative INTELLiVENT-adaptive support VEntilation in cardiac surgery patients (POSITiVE) II—study protocol of a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundOne single-center randomized clinical trial showed that INTELLiVENT-adaptive support ventilation (ASV) is superior to conventional ventilation with respect to the quality of ventilation in post-cardiac surgery patients. Other studies showed that this automated ventilation mode reduces the number of manual interventions at the ventilator in various types of critically ill patients. In this multicenter study in patients post-cardiac surgery, we test the hypothesis that INTELLiVENT-ASV is superior to conventional ventilation with respect to the quality of ventilation.Methods“POStoperative INTELLiVENT-adaptive support VEntilation in cardiac surgery patients II (POSITiVE II)” is an international, multicenter, two-group randomized clinical superiority trial. In total, 328 cardiac surgery patients will be randomized. Investigators screen patients aged > 18 years of age, scheduled for elective cardiac surgery, and expected to receive postoperative ventilation in the ICU for longer than 2 h. Patients either receive automated ventilation by means of INTELLiVENT-ASV or ventilation that is not automated by means of a conventional ventilation mode. The primary endpoint is quality of ventilation, defined as the proportion of postoperative ventilation time characterized by exposure to predefined optimal, acceptable, and critical (injurious) ventilatory parameters in the first two postoperative hours. One major secondary endpoint is ICU team staff workload, captured by the ventilator software collecting manual settings on alarms. Patient-centered endpoints include duration of postoperative ventilation and length of stay in ICU.DiscussionPOSITiVE II is the first international, multicenter, randomized clinical trial designed to confirm that POStoperative INTELLiVENT-ASV is superior to non-automated conventional ventilation and secondary to determine if this closed-loop ventilation mode reduces ICU team staff workload. The results of POSITiVE II will support intensive care teams in their choices regarding the use of automated ventilation in postoperative care of uncomplicated cardiac surgery patients.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT06178510. Registered on December 4, 2023.

Skill Training in Undergraduate Students of Prosthodontics Using the Modified Peyton’s Method

Abstract Introduction: Dentistry schools have always used simulation training. Any professional education program that makes appropriate use of simulation can help trainees clarify their clinical abilities without running the risk of endangering patients while they are learning. The literature is currently debating whether teaching strategies work best in skill laboratories. The Peyton method, which is intended for a 1:1 student–teacher ratio, is one of these. To overcome this, the modified Peyton’s method was created, allowing each student to practice their specific skill at least once. Therefore, the objective was to assess and contrast the modified Peyton’s technique with traditional instruction for prosthodontics undergraduate students’ skill development. Materials and Methods: This prospective interventional study aimed to do an interventional trial in a dental context by taking alginate imprints utilizing the dental skill laboratory, and compare traditional training methods with the modified Peyton’s approach. A total of 68 students in the third BDS were split into two equal groups at random. Each group included 30 students. Group B was split up into six groups and instructed using a modified Peyton’s approach; Group A was evaluated using an objective structured practical examination (OSPE) and a posttest. Results: By the end of the trial, pupils who had been taught utilizing modified Peyton had improved to a score of 5 on the posttest and OSPE. When comparing the modified Peyton group’s mean OSPE score to the traditional teaching method, it was higher. The feedback obtained of the students taught using the modified Peyton’s group proved that this method helps in easy understanding of the skill. Conclusions: The knowledge gain seen through the pretest and posttest scores in the modified Peyton’s group was considerably higher when compared with the conventional mode of teaching. Thus, teaching pupils the modified Peyton’s approach will help them acquire new skills.

A Post-Darwinian Fable: Canine Narration in The Call of the Wild

The paper reads Jack London’s The Call of the Wild as a post-Darwinian fable that challenges the anthropomorphism and sentimentality in the notoriously charged genre of the animal fable. London’s post-Darwinian representation of canine narration in an evolutionary continuum seeks to deconstruct the inherent hierarchy embedded in the fable. Through a reconciliation of the animal fable’s internal and external conflict, London aims to draw an ethical critique of amoral aspects of social Darwinism that underlies the American industry culture at the turn of the century. The remapping of humanity/animality, progression/regression, and the society/the wild within a bispecies environment for coevolution embodies London’s endeavor to rescue the reputation of the genre of fable from a conventional naturalist mode. London’s proclaimed vigor and science in the critique of animal fable further aspire to redeem the feminized professionalism of writing.

Optimal electric bus scheduling method under hybrid energy supply mode of photovoltaic-energy storage system-power grid

Currently, the charging energy of electric buses (EBs) primarily relies on the power grid (PG), and the production of the electricity for the power grid still results in carbon emissions. In recent years, a remarkable development has been observed in the photovoltaic (PV) technology. If EBs can be charged using electricity generated from PV, it has great potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions for EB systems at the source. Considering the inherent output power fluctuations from PV source, we propose a hybrid electricity supply mode named “Photovoltaic-Energy Storage System-Power Grid” (PV-ESS-PG). Firstly, considering the characteristics of different electricity supply modes, we introduce charging strategies tailored to different scenarios and formulate a cooperative optimization model for EB dispatching and charging plans. Secondly, we decompose this model into two sub-problems: bus dispatching and charging scheduling. To solve these two sub-problems, we employ the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) to obtain the optimization results of bus dispatching plan, charging mode, charging start time, and charging duration. Finally, we validate the proposed method using real-world data of EB operation and PV output power. We further analyze the influences of weather conditions, ESS capacity, and EB rated battery capacity on the optimization results. We find that, compared to the conventional unitary power grid electricity supply mode, the proposed method reduces daily charging costs by 25.48% and carbon emissions by 68.71% of the whole bus route.

Quality assessment of the wide-angle detection option planned at the high-intensity/extended Q-range SANS diffractometer KWS-2 combining experiments and McStas simulations.

For a reliable characterization of materials and systems featuring multiple structural levels, a broad length scale from a few ångström to hundreds of nanometres must be analyzed and an extended Q range must be covered in X-ray and neutron scattering experiments. For certain samples or effects, it is advantageous to perform such characterization with a single instrument. Neutrons offer the unique advantage of contrast variation and matching by D-labeling, which is of great value in the characterization of natural or synthetic polymers. Some time-of-flight small-angle neutron scattering (TOF-SANS) instruments at neutron spallation sources can cover an extended Q range by using a broad wavelength band and a multitude of detectors. The detectors are arranged to cover a wide range of scattering angles with a resolution that allows both large-scale morphology and crystalline structure to be resolved simultaneously. However, for such analyses, the SANS instruments at steady-state sources operating in conventional monochromatic pinhole mode rely on additional wide-angle neutron scattering (WANS) detectors. The resolution must be tuned via a system of choppers and a TOF data acquisition option to reliably measure the atomic to mesoscale structures. The KWS-2 SANS diffractometer at Jülich Centre for Neutron Science allows the exploration of a wide Q range using conventional pinhole and lens focusing modes and an adjustable resolution Δλ/λ between 2 and 20%. This is achieved through the use of a versatile mechanical velocity selector combined with a variable slit opening and rotation frequency chopper. The installation of WANS detectors planned on the instrument required a detailed analysis of the quality of the data measured over a wide angular range with variable resolution. This article presents an assessment of the WANS performance by comparison with a McStas [Willendrup, Farhi & Lefmann (2004). Physica B, 350, E735-E737] simulation of ideal experimental conditions at the instrument.

Thermodynamic and economic analysis of the combined cooling, heating, and power system coupled with the constant-pressure compressed air energy storage

Combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) technology represents a widely adopted and promising approach for achieving high energy efficiency. However, the conventional operational mode of electricity determined by heating often leads to poor partial load efficiency, strong heat-electricity coupling, and inflexible regulation in the gas turbine system. This paper proposes a novel CCHP system coupling the gas turbine and constant-pressure compressed air energy storage. Thermodynamic and economic models are built to evaluate the four schemes of the coupled system based on the simple cycle or regenerative cycle gas turbine with a 10 MW power output, respectively. The results show that different coupling methods offer advantages in various aspects. The coupled scheme employing the simple cycle gas turbine and the ejector demonstrates the highest primary energy ratio of 68.94 %. Meanwhile, the coupled scheme using the regenerative cycle gas turbine and expander exhibits superior economic performance, with the fuel cost output rate and system profit reaching 1.426 and $734.43, respectively. Integrating constant-pressure compressed air energy storage effectively widens the heat-electricity ratio adjustment range of the gas turbine CCHP system. Among them, the coupled scheme employing the regenerative cycle gas turbine and ejector achieves the highest relative variation rate of the heat-electricity ratio, reaching 13.68 %.