Ideal Scenario Research Articles

PHAD: a phase-oriented disruption prediction strategy for avoidance, prevention, and mitigation in JET

The ideal operational scenario for the future tokamak reactor is disruption-free operation. However, so far all the experimental evidence indicates that disruptions are unavoidable and can occur with alarming frequency when approaching reactor conditions (low q 95, high radiated fraction, divertor detachment, etc). In this article, a unified strategy for disruption avoidance, prevention, and mitigation is proposed and validated on JET data. The approach is based on three phase-oriented predictors to detect the main instabilities leading to the undesired and sudden end of the discharge. The first model detects dangerous profiles as an early indication of a critical situation. The second is designed to identify multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge and other abnormal radiative events. The third model is devoted to mitigation, and triggers alarms around few tens of ms before the beginning of the current quench. The models have been trained and tested with a database of almost 1000 JET discharges of recent campaigns with the ITER-like wall. The overall performances are very close to 100% of successful detections with a few percent of false alarms. In addition to the first systematic use of visible cameras for disruption prevention in JET, the most relevant aspect of this work is related to the distribution of the alarms of the three predictors, which do not overlap and are sequential. Consequently, the three predictors are meant to work in parallel over running discharges and, depending on which one triggers the alarm, the cause can be determined and approximate remaining time to intervene can be estimated, potentially allowing for the optimisation of the remedial actions.

Artificial Intelligence in COPD: New Venues to Study a Complex Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous disease that can benefit from novel approaches to understanding its evolution and divergent trajectories. Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how we can use clinical, imaging, and molecular data to understand and model complex systems. AI has shown impressive results in areas related to automated clinical decision making, radiological interpretation and prognostication. The unique nature of COPD and the accessibility to well-phenotyped populations result in an ideal scenario for AI development. This review provides an introduction to AI and deep learning and presents some recent successes in applying AI in COPD. Finally, we will discuss some of the opportunities, challenges, and limitations for AI applications in the context of COPD.

Multicriteria optimization of Brayton-like pumped thermal electricity storage with liquid media

A multi-objective and multi-parametric optimization of a Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage system based on Brayton cycles is presented by the calculation of different Pareto fronts and the associated Pareto optimal sets for energetic and design analysis, respectively. A large range of internal and external irreversibilities and the thermodynamic properties of the storage media are taken into account. The analysis shows that the heat capacity of the working fluid and the heat capacity of the storage media should be the same in the contact with the hot reservoirs and in the contact with the cold reservoir in the heat pump, but in the contact with the cold reservoir for the heat engine the ratio should be 0.33, this offers information regarding the mass flow increasing significantly the achievable values for the round-trip efficiency, power output and the heat engine efficiency in the discharge process. Optimal values are given in terms of the degree of irreversibilities in the system and a comparison is made with extreme cases of infinite and minimum sizes for the storage system. Round-trip efficiencies in the so-called optimum scale/mass-flow-ratio design point exhibits noticeably larger values compared to previously reported results including the so-called endoreversible limit, where no internal irreversibilities are considered and where the improvement can achieve 49% over the endoreversible case in the most ideal scenario. Explicit numerical values of the maximum round trip efficiency, power output, and efficiency are given for a broad range of both internal and external irreversibilities.

Москва, Варшава та Чигирин в умовах становлення віленсько-раднотської політичної конфігурації (друга половина 50-х рр. XVII cт.)

The aim of the article is to analyze the viewpoints and front-office policy of Muscovite state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Ukraine, which were formed under the influence of the Compacts of Radnot and Vilno in 1656. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, versatility, integrity, and systematics, as well as the methods of analysis and synthesis, historical-comparative, historical-typological, problem-chronological, are used. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that one again in historiography the attempt was made to trace the course of the Moscow-Polish-Ukrainian confrontation, which took new forms because of the Vilno and Radnot agreements and to analyze the efforts of the parties to realize their own state interests, concentrated in the region of Central Eastern Europe. Conclusions. The analysis of the military-political situation in CEE in the autumn of 1656-spring 1657, connected with the conclusion of the Treaty of Vilno and the formation of the Radnot Anti-Polish Coalition, shows that it could lead to a radical change in the balance of forces in the region. The active participants of the given military and political confrontation were the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Muscovite state and Ukrainian state which tried by all means to realize their state interests. If for Chyhyryn they encompassed the creation of conditions for the liberation of all Ukrainian lands from the rule of Poland, and for the latter, the question of its very existence arose, in Moscow, various plans were developed for the realization of the imperial idea. They tried to take advantage of the crisis of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the anti-Polish uprising in Ukraine, and the Swedish “Flood”, and internal conflicts that were swinging the Polish-Lithuanian state, and, finally, the military advance of the Radnot coalition states) to eliminate their main rival in the region, and in an ideal scenario just to take it over.

Evaluation of consumer domestic habits on the environmental impact of ready-to-eat and minimally processed fresh-cut lamb's lettuce

Food consumption is associated with various environmental impacts and therefore consumer choices represent an important driver for environmental decisions. This study evaluates the environmental impact of fresh-cut salad lamb's lettuce (Valerianella Locusta L.) consumption consumer habits on the whole life cycle. Minimally processed lamb's lettuce and ready to eat lamb's lettuce were analysed following the life cycle assessment method. The functional unit was defined as a commercial unit of fresh-cut salad lamb's lettuce (130 g packaged salad). Representative data related to the consumption stages were obtained using questionnaires and results were compared to the whole life cycle of fresh-cut salad. The minimally processed salad required an average of 14 dm3 of water to be washed while the ready to eat salad needs 8.8 dm3 (36% less). Regarding the whole life cycle, the higher impact was identified in the agricultural phase for both products (46% average amongst impact categories). The consumers’ behaviour was quantified as significant in the whole life cycle: the consumption stages have an average impact of 18% and 15% amongst impact categories for the minimally processed salad and for the ready to eat, respectively. The environmental impact of consumers’ habits can be easily reduced with responsible and virtuous behaviour. The proposed ideal habits scenario showed a potential reduction of environmental impact ranged from 1% for minimally processed salad to 97% for ready to eat salad.

Optimization tool to improve the management of the leakages and recovered energy in irrigation water systems

The use of pumps working as turbines is a new solution, which has been recently analysed to improve the water management in the different water systems. The improvement of sustainability involved with this use should be considered in these networks, and it focuses on the reduction of the consumption energy as well as the reduction of leakages. Both variables have a great influence on the rest of economical, technical and environmental indicators of network behavior, becoming key in their improvement. In this line, the research develops a methodology, which includes the estimation of the leakages in the different junctions and pipes as a function of the injected and registered volume data in the water. The present methodology proposes different operation scenarios according to leakages and it develops a double optimization procedure to locate and select the best recovery machines considering different objective functions. The methodology is applied to a real case study, which has serial data of water registered volume since 2001. The research shows the leakages influence in the operation points as well as the recovered energy. Different sustainable indicators are analysed for the different scenarios according to optimized procedures: The IRLGP index was defined as the ratio between reduction of the leakage volume for each installed power and it reached the annual value of 11,280.8 m3/kW; The optimized procedure establishes the significance to consider the leakages when the hydraulic machines are selected. Their best efficiency points increase to 195% and 205% compared to the ideal scenario without leakages.

Ionospheric Response to Sudden Stratospheric Warming Events Across Longitudes During Solar Cycle 24

AbstractSolar cycle 24 from December 2008 to December 2019 had an unusual progression and was the weakest cycle in a century, providing an ideal scenario to study perceivable effect of wave forcing from lower atmosphere. This study examines the ionospheric response to meteorological phenomenon of sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) during solar cycle 24 (Arctic winter 2008/2009 to 2018/2019) using Global Positioning System‐derived total electron content (VTEC) and its deviation from monthly median (ΔVTEC) for four longitudinal chains. Each chain comprises eight stations, covering varied latitudes in both hemispheres. A longitude‐ and latitude‐dependent response of VTEC is observed within ∼3 weeks of peak polar stratospheric temperature anomaly (ΔTmax), with maximum variations seen for low‐latitude stations at American and Australian‐East Asian sectors. It is seen that variations during minor warming events are comparable or at times even larger than during major warming events. These responses increase with an increase in solar activity, with major SSW events primarily seen during moderate and low solar activity periods and minor SSW during high solar activity period. Under similar ionizing conditions, a quite similar ionospheric response is observed irrespective of ΔTmax and of SSW type (major or minor); however, under similar SSW strength, no prominent pattern in ionospheric response is observed. Latitude‐dependent semidiurnal ionospheric behavior is observed for only a few events. This vertical coupling between lower and upper atmosphere during SSW is predominantly influenced by 13–16 days periodicities in VTEC, along with other periodicities of 9, 7, 5, and 3 days.

Land use change and collaborative manureshed management in New Mexico.

Agricultural communities of New Mexico regularly redistribute manure nutrients from dairies to nearby croplands to fulfill agronomic nutrient needs and protect water quality. Yet competition for water resources can result in land use change that affects these cooperative manure transfers. Focusing on three clusters of New Mexico dairy farms and their surrounding lands (three manuresheds), we calculated the magnitude of land use changes in 2008-2019 and the balance between manure nutrient supply and crop demand in 2019 to assess how past change may predict future prospects for sustainable management. The overall magnitude of change was small, with each manureshed experiencing a different complement: an exchange of cropland and rangeland in the Roosevelt manureshed (7,975ha rangeland to cropland; 7,624ha cropland to rangeland), a 464-ha gain in cropland but a 1,187-ha loss of "spreadable" land (cropland, rangeland, fallow) to developed land in the Doña Ana manureshed, and relatively minor changes in the Chaves manureshed. Nutrient supply and demand were mainly in balance, but a surplus of manure phosphorus (P) in the Chaves manureshed and a thin margin of P assimilation by croplands in the Roosevelt manureshed point to the need for preserving existing croplands and understanding of effects of dairy manure on shortgrass rangeland. Our assessment suggests that an ideal scenario would entail manure being generated in landscapes with portfolios of productive lands that can sustainably use the manure nutrients to minimize environmental quality concerns and agronomic tradeoffs. Coordinated, participatory, and interdisciplinary research and planning are needed.

Interleukin-1RA Mitigates SARS-CoV-2-Induced Inflammatory Lung Vascular Leakage and Mortality in Humanized K18-hACE-2 Mice.

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Metodología para la Integración de Contenidos en la Formación del Profesional de la Educación

En el empeño de entregar a la sociedad un profesional de la educación cada vez más preparado para enfrentar los retos que supone su desempeño en la actualidad, la integración de los contenidos que recibe en las diferentes disciplinas y asignaturas que conforman el currículo, posee una incuestionable importancia en su formación inicial, por cuanto ha de colocarlo en mejores condiciones para solucionar los problemas profesionales que le son inherentes. La Disciplina Principal Integradora: Formación laboral investigativa, vigente en el plan de estudio de las carreras universitarias en Cuba, constituye un escenario ideal para la concreción de la integración de contenidos en los diferentes contextos en que se desarrolla el estudiante, sin embargo, existen insuficiencias que limitan tal propósito en la práctica. Lo anterior justifica la pertinencia de la metodología que aquí se presenta, cuyos resultados ya han sido comprobados.

Built Environment Typologies Prone to Risk: A Cluster Analysis of Open Spaces in Italian Cities

Planning for preparedness, in terms of multi-hazard disasters, involves testing the relevant abilities to mitigate damage and build resilience, through the assessment of deterministic disaster scenarios. Among risk-prone assets, open spaces (OSs) play a significant role in the characterization of the built environment (BE) and represent the relevant urban portion on which to develop multi-risk scenarios. The aim of this paper is to elaborate ideal scenarios—namely, Built Environment Typologies (BETs)—for simulation-based risk assessment actions, considering the safety and resilience of BEs in emergency conditions. The investigation is conducted through the GIS data collection of the common characteristics of OSs (i.e., squares), identified through five parameters considered significant in the scientific literature. These data were processed through a non-hierarchical cluster analysis. The results of the cluster analysis identified five groups of OSs, characterized by specific morphological, functional, and physical characteristics. Combining the outcomes of the cluster analysis with a critical analysis, nine final BETs were identified. The resulting BETs were linked to characteristic risk combinations, according to the analysed parameters. Thus, the multi-risk scenarios identified through the statistical analysis lay the basis for future risk assessments of BEs, based on the peculiar characteristics of Italian towns.

Ultrafast oxidation of emerging contaminants by novel VUV/Fe2+/PS process at wide pH range: Performance and mechanism

Vacuum UV (VUV) has become a powerful tool for light-assisted advanced oxidation processes because it efficiently dissociates water to produce reactive oxygen species in situ. Heretofore, the performance and synergistic mechanism for emerging contaminants (ECs) removal by VUV/Fe2+/PS have not been reported. Compared with its sub-processes, integrated VUV/Fe2+/PS process can significantly accelerate the degradation and mineralization of three ECs. The synergistic factors of degradation of norfloxacin (NOR), sulfadiazine and tetracycline in VUV/Fe2+/PS process were 1.52, 1.62 and 2.70, respectively. The influence mechanisms of process parameters (PS and Fe2+ dose, initial pH) on the performance of VUV/Fe2+/PS were elaborated, and VUV/Fe2+/PS process can effectively remove NOR at wide pH range (3–10). Combining radical quenching experiments and characteristic substance capture experiments, hydroxyl radical (HO•), sulfate radical (SO4•-), singlet oxygen (1O2), and Fe(IV) were identified as main radical and non-radical species in VUV/Fe2+/PS process. The radical species dominated by HO• and SO4•- contributed more to the degradation of three ECs by VUV/Fe2+/PS (over 60%), and the non-radical species dominated by Fe(IV) and 1O2 also played an important role in ECs removal. Degradation by-products and pathways of NOR by VUV/Fe2+/PS were also investigated. Moreover, synergistic reaction pathways in VUV/Fe2+/PS process were proposed. Effects of water matrices on the performance of VUV/Fe2+/PS were also studied. The secondary wastewater was considered an ideal application scenario for VUV/Fe2+/PS process. All results clearly indicate that VUV/Fe2+/PS is a promising process for ECs removal.

Ethical Design of a Robot Platform for Disabled Employees: Some Practical Methodological Considerations.

This paper explains the process of developing a scenario involving the use of a robotic platform to enhance the work experience of disabled employees. We outline the challenges involved in revealing the potential unintended consequences of introducing elements of Artificial Intelligence, automation, and robotics into a socially and ethically complex and potentially fragile scenario, and the practical challenges involved in giving a voice to vulnerable users throughout the design process. While an ideal case scenario would involve the disabled employees as much as possible directly in the design process, this can, realistically, be a challenge. In this paper, we detail a methodological and analytic approach that is centered around ethnography and design fictions. It is designed to provide a deeper understanding of all the stakeholders involved in the scenario while encouraging ethical reflection. Based on our findings, we argue that, while it is relatively easy to adopt an a priori ethical stance through notions such as inclusivity and accessibility, there are risks involved in making such a priori prescriptions with respect to the perspectives of different stakeholders in an applied research project. More specifically, we highlight the importance of understanding the broad organizational and bureaucratic characteristics of a business or workplace when devising HRI scenarios and tasks, and of considering elements such as business models, operating philosophy, and organizational hierarchies in the design process.

Discrepancies between Ideal and Actual Mental State at the Time of the Offense Evaluation Practices

ABSTRACT Evaluator judgments of defendants’ mental state at the time of the offense (MSO) can influence the trier of fact and have implications for fairness and justice; however, current practices, and their alignment with best practice guidelines, are effectively unknown. The limited existing literature indicates that there are some substantive differences between practice recommendations for MSO evaluations and how they are conducted in practice. The current mixed methods study expanded those findings by revealing several discrepancies among how evaluators endorsed certain collateral data sources, clinical interview topics, and psychological and forensic assessment tools in an ideal evaluation scenario and how those ratings compared to their actual practices, as well as identified the justifications provided for any discrepancies. Overall, results suggest that actual practices are generally aligned with reported ideal practices; however, some discrepancies exist. We discuss these discrepancies in relation to existing ethical and specialty guidelines and propose practice recommendations. In order to protect against potentially biasing information, evaluators are encouraged to institute safeguards when communicating with a defendant’s attorney, implement a systematic review process, and scrutinize their current clinical interviews. Additionally, clinicians should be aware of all measures relevant to the psycholegal construct and may consider requesting further data sources.

Continuous Camera-Based Premature-Infant Monitoring Algorithms for NICU

Non-contact visual monitoring of vital signs in neonatology has been demonstrated by several recent studies in ideal scenarios where the baby is calm and there is no medical or parental intervention. Similar to contact monitoring methods (e.g., ECG, pulse oximeter) the camera-based solutions suffer from motion artifacts. Therefore, during care and the infants’ active periods, calculated values typically differ largely from the real ones. In this way, our main contribution to existing remote camera-based techniques is to detect and classify such situations with a high level of confidence. Our algorithms can not only evaluate quiet periods, but can also provide continuous monitoring. Altogether, our proposed algorithms can measure pulse rate, breathing rate, and to recognize situations such as medical intervention or very active subjects using only a single camera, while the system does not exceed the computational capabilities of average CPU-GPU-based hardware. The performance of the algorithms was evaluated on our database collected at the Ist Dept. of Neonatology of Pediatrics, Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

Synthetic Fuels in a Transport Transition: Fuels to Prevent a Transport Underclass

The Paris Agreement set policy scenarios to address mitigating against the climate emergency, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. There has been a drive toward electrifying transport, with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at the forefront. Reliance on single-technology policy development can lead to consequential impacts, often not considered, or dismissed. Energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be transformed. While BEVs may represent zero tailpipe emissions, the battery energy must be sourced elsewhere. An ideal policy scenario will come from “renewable” sources; however, current global energy mixes require the electricity to come from carbon-burning point source emitters. Therefore, the emissions are deferred to low socioeconomic regions. The move to ban new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales has been accelerated. High BEV costs will preclude low-income groups from making purchases. Such groups typically rely on used cars for mobility. Without considered consequential policy analysis, transport underclasses may result, where private transport is only accessible by the wealthy. Synthetic fuels derived from CO2represent a social bridge in the energy transition, also helping to accelerate toward net zero. The Covid-19 lockdown provided a unique opportunity to experience an environment with reduced transport-related emissions. Global studies allowed the consequential effects of pollution reduction to be studied. These are surprising and offer the opportunity for policies, driven by science, to be developed. Here, we consider the consequential effects of clean air policies, and how these can be used to propose dynamic responses to policy recommendations.

Physiological Parameters to Identify Suitable Blood Donor Cows for Preparation of Platelet Rich Plasma.

Simple SummaryPlatelet rich plasma is a biological product obtained from blood and used for regenerative treatments of different pathologies. It is characterized by a high concentration of platelets (at least 3 times the physiological level) containing many growth factors with anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and regenerative properties. In human medicine, PRP is used in an autologous way, it means that the blood donor is also the recipient. In veterinary medicine, PRP is used to treat different diseases or lesions and in bovine species to treat mastitis. In this context, the opportunity to have PRP ready to use, stored from donor cows of the same farm where it will be used, would be very useful in treating this pathology immediately when it occurs. For this purpose, the present research aimed to detect parameters useful to identify the most suitable cows to be used as blood donors to obtain the highest yield of PRP (milliliters of PRP obtained with respect to milliliters of initial blood). Our results showed that blood collection from the mammary vein within three months of parturition, from nonpregnant cows at 5 years of age, but not the blood collection season, were associated with a high yield of PRP.Platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of bovine mastitis, with an action comparable to that of antibiotics. Autologous treatment is feasible in experimental conditions but is difficult to apply in field conditions, particularly in acute mastitis. The ideal scenario would be to have heterologous PRP stored on every farm so that it is readily available when needed. In this paper, we analysed data collected during bovine mastitis treatment with heterologous PRP produced by casual donor cows on several farms. We tried to identify parameters which might be useful to identify the most suitable cows to be used as blood donors, to obtain the highest yield of PRP. Variables considered for each animal were the age, the parity, the date of the last parturition, the season of blood collection, the site of blood collection (jugular or mammary vein) and the reproductive status e.g., pregnant or not pregnant. There were statistically significant differences for all the variables considered from the 135 blood cows, except for the blood collection season. The highest yield of PRP was associated with nonpregnancy blood collection within three months of parturition, parity 3 or 4, and blood collection from the mammary vein.

Techno-economic Analysis and Comparative Study for the Sustainability of Private Motor Vehicles in China

This article discusses the life cycle energy consumption and cost of three new energy vehicles (NEVs) through life cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic analysis, and compares them with a conventional vehicle (CV). In ideal, average, and extreme scenarios, new energy vehicles are more sustainable than CV, especially in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but are not as economical as CV. To be concise, electric vehicles have the best environmental sustainability, but the total cost is higher than CVs. The total cost of hybrid electric vehicles is slightly lower than conventional vehicles, but the environmental sustainability is poor.

SyNC, a Computationally Extensive and Realistic Neural Net to Identify Relative Impacts of Synaptopathy Mechanisms on Glutamatergic Neurons and Their Networks in Autism and Complex Neurological Disorders.

Synaptic function and experience-dependent plasticity across multiple synapses are dependent on the types of neurons interacting as well as the intricate mechanisms that operate at the molecular level of the synapse. To understand the complexity of information processing at synaptic networks will rely in part on effective computational models. Such models should also evaluate disruptions to synaptic function by multiple mechanisms. By co-development of algorithms alongside hardware, real time analysis metrics can be co-prioritized along with biological complexity. The hippocampus is implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and within this region glutamatergic neurons constitute 90% of the neurons integral to the functioning of neuronal networks. Here we generate a computational model referred to as ASD interrogator (ASDint) and corresponding hardware to enable in silicon analysis of multiple ASD mechanisms affecting glutamatergic neuron synapses. The hardware architecture Synaptic Neuronal Circuit, SyNC, is a novel GPU accelerator or neural net, that extends discovery by acting as a biologically relevant realistic neuron synapse in real time. Co-developed ASDint and SyNC expand spiking neural network models of plasticity to comparative analysis of retrograde messengers. The SyNC model is realized in an ASIC architecture, which enables the ability to compute increasingly complex scenarios without sacrificing area efficiency of the model. Here we apply the ASDint model to analyse neuronal circuitry dysfunctions associated with autism spectral disorder (ASD) synaptopathies and their effects on the synaptic learning parameter and demonstrate SyNC on an ideal ASDint scenario. Our work highlights the value of secondary pathways in regard to evaluating complex ASD synaptopathy mechanisms. By comparing the degree of variation in the synaptic learning parameter to the response obtained from simulations of the ideal scenario we determine the potency and time of the effect of a particular evaluated mechanism. Hence simulations of such scenarios in even a small neuronal network now allows us to identify relative impacts of changed parameters and their effect on synaptic function. Based on this, we can estimate the minimum fraction of a neuron exhibiting a particular dysfunction scenario required to lead to complete failure of a neural network to coordinate pre-synaptic and post-synaptic outputs.

Influence of carbonation on the bound chloride concentration in different cementitious systems

Deterioration of reinforced concrete is often studied in idealised scenarios where only one exposure environment is dominant. For example, to study concrete structures exposed to de-icing salt environments, the effect of a cyclic wetting and drying regime is considered, but deterioration by carbonation is not given any emphasis. However, some studies have shown that carbonation could result in the release of bound chlorides and this could lead to an increase in chloride content near steel in reinforced concrete. Through an investigation on the influence of carbonation on the bound chlorides in different cementitious pastes, this paper highlights the positive initial effects that carbonation has on the chloride binding behaviour and later the changes that occur in both the pH of concrete and the bound chloride content for both low and high w/b mixes. Two mathematical expressions are put forward for mapping: (i) the changes in apparent pH as a function of the duration of carbonation and mix ingredients; and (ii) the reduction in the bound chlorides with a proportional reduction in apparent pH. The latter is valuable in quantifying the changes to binding capacity in service life models due to carbonation, with the help of a simple pH measurement.