Institution Of Engineers Research Articles

Practical 6-DoF Manoeuvring Simulation of a BB2 Submarine Near the Free Surface

It is necessary to predict the manoeuvring performance of a submarine accurately at the early design stage for its safe and effective operations. In this paper, the practical 6-DoF simulation models of an X-form stern plane submarine operating near the free surface are proposed. A 1/15 scaled model of ‘BB2 submarine’ is constructed, the captive model tests are performed in a towing tank of Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) at the full-scale depths, 30, 15.4 (snorkel depth), and 4.5 metres (surfaced depth). Resistance and propulsion tests are performed at the deepest depth, 30 metres. The vertical planar motion mechanism (PMM) tests including the forced rolling motions are also carried out at the depth of 30 metres. The horizontal PMM tests are conducted at three kinds of depths, respectively. The depth-varying horizontal plane coefficients in the model are identified, and the coefficients which are little influenced by the depths are treated as the constant values for the practical purpose. Some of velocity coupled terms are approximated by using the added mass coefficients on the assumption that the viscous components are negligible. In addition, the resistance increases, vertical suction forces and moments are measured in the straight-ahead tests with varying the submergence depths. The free surface effects are considered as the exponential function terms in the proposed models. Based on the present tests and the previous studies about the free surface effects on the submerged bodies, it is practically assumed that the free surface effects are exponentially decayed with the depths, and are already negligible when the submergence depth is 30 metres, approximately three times the hull depth. Horizontal and vertical plane manoeuvring motions as well as the neutral flights are simulated with the control plane deflections less than 15 degrees. The present simulations are in good agreements with existing free-running model test results.

Tanaka Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hiroshima Institute of Technology

Tanaka Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hiroshima Institute of Technology

Ionization Limits and Upper Levels in P-XIV and in Cl-XVI

Abstract This study fills the gap of upper-level energies and the ionization limits of the following configurations: 1s3s1S0, 1s2p3Po0, 1s2p 1Po1, 1s3p1Po1, 1s4p 1Po1, 1s5p1Po1, 1s6p1Po1, 1s2p3Po1, 1s3s3S1, 1s4s3S1, 1s3d 1D2, 1s3d3D2, 1s5d3D2, 1s2p3Po2, 1s3d3D3, 1s4d3D3, 1s5d3D3 in P-XIV and in Cl-XVI currently not listed at NIST. Therefore, in this work the ionization limits with and without relativistic effects are computed for the Helium-like iso-spectrum levels series for the mentioned configurations, for Z = 2 - 17. A total of 254 ionization limits are computed and compared with the available data at National Institute of Standard and Technology. The yield limits departing from NIST ones by not more than 0.00001 eV.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends in Hazard Mitigation Studies in Korea: Based on Articles from the Journal of Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation

This study conducts a bibliometric analysis to identify research trends in hazard mitigation, based on 3,074 papers published in the Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation between 2010 and 2023. The findings revealed that research on climate change and disaster response was the most active, with key topics including natural disaster management, urban water resource management, fire analysis and prevention, and AI-based disaster management. A keyword analysis highlighted “disaster” and “climate change” as having the highest frequency and centrality within the network. Institutional analysis identified the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology as the leading institution in co-authorship, with high research productivity and a key role as an intermediary. The authors’ analysis revealed that certain authors were central to expanding the field through diverse cooperation. These insights highlight the evolution of hazard mitigation research in Korea and offer guidance for future research to tackle emerging challenges in disaster management.

Exosomes: A Fluid Biopsy Source for Clinical Interventions of Noncommunicable Diseases Treatment: A Review

Introduction: The beginning of exosome biosynthesis is marked by the emergence of the initial endosomes through the inward splitting of the plasma cell membrane. This process is facilitated through the endosomal categorization complex essential for transport, which is also involved in the production of different extracellular vesicles. Exosomes are naturally occurring nanosized vesicles found in all bodily fluids and can be successfully extracted from preserved biological materials, while maintaining their structural integrity. Methods: The articles published recently in high-quality journals (Science Direct, Springer, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and Taylor & Francis) indexed in various indexing sources such as Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and so on were collected using keywords such as fluid biopsy (FB) exosomes, endosomes, and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) treatment, new biomarkers, and treatment. Discussion: In recent years, exosomes have emerged as an exciting option for “FB” that has demonstrated significant potential in the areas of noninvasive medical testing, predictions, as well as tracking responses to therapy for noncommunicable diseases. Nevertheless, specific constraints need to be addressed to expand the application of exosome-based FB as a widely accepted and reliable testing method in typical medical facilities. Conclusion: This review provides a comprehensive overview of our present understanding of exosomes to be an FB method for diagnosing, predicting outcomes, and tracking treatment responses in NCDs. It also discusses the main constraints, innovations in technology, as well as future possibilities of using this application in medical treatment.

Understanding AI's Role in Endometriosis Patient Education and Evaluating Its Information and Accuracy: Systematic Review.

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition that affects a significant portion of women of reproductive age, leading to debilitating symptoms such as chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Despite advancements in diagnosis and management, patient education remains a critical challenge. With the rapid growth of digital platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potential tool to enhance patient education and access to information. This systematic review aims to explore the role of AI in facilitating education and improving information accessibility for individuals with endometriosis. This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to ensure rigorous and transparent reporting. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed; Embase; the Regional Online Information System for Scientific Journals of Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal (LATINDEX); Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS); Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Xplore, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials using the terms "endometriosis" and "artificial intelligence." Studies were selected based on their focus on AI applications in patient education or information dissemination regarding endometriosis. We included studies that evaluated AI-driven tools for assessing patient knowledge and addressed frequently asked questions related to endometriosis. Data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by 2 authors, with discrepancies resolved through consensus. Out of 400 initial search results, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria and were fully reviewed. We ultimately included 3 studies, 1 of which was an abstract. The studies examined the use of AI models, such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), machine learning, and natural language processing, in providing educational resources and answering common questions about endometriosis. The findings indicated that AI tools, particularly large language models, offer accurate responses to frequently asked questions with varying degrees of sufficiency across different categories. AI's integration with social media platforms also highlights its potential to identify patients' needs and enhance information dissemination. AI holds promise in advancing patient education and information access for endometriosis, providing accurate and comprehensive answers to common queries, and facilitating a better understanding of the condition. However, challenges remain in ensuring ethical use, equitable access, and maintaining accuracy across diverse patient populations. Future research should focus on developing standardized approaches for evaluating AI's impact on patient education and exploring its integration into clinical practice to enhance support for individuals with endometriosis.

Nist Aal Adaptive Security Framework

In our digitally evolving security world, adaptive and risk - based authentication methods are the key countermeasures responding to the current rising cyber risks. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Authenticator Assurance Levels (AAL) framework offers a specific guidance on the implementation of adaptive security measures. The study is designed to put the "NIST AAL Adaptive Security Framework" into practice by using technologies such as Ping Federate and Ping Davinci systems for the timely risk analysis of IT environments and advanced MFA approaches against emerging threats. AAL model can define authentication procedures customized as per the level of risk, requirements and compliance regulations of the organization. It is essential to classify authentication into separate assurance level (AAL1, AAL2 and AAL3) as it helps to make modifications according to contextual factors like perceived risk and user's behaviour. This is vital as it enhances security while it optimizes user experience. This study examines the proposed framework’s efficacy in reducing cyber - threats and strengthening security posture of organizations.

An Applied Analysis of Securing 5G/6G Core Networks with Post-Quantum Key Encapsulation Methods

Fifth Generation (5G) cellular networks have been adopted worldwide since the rollout began around 2019. It brought with it many innovations and new services, such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and Massive Internet of Things (mIoT). Furthermore, 5G introduced a more scalable approach to network operations using fully software-based Virtualized Network Functions (VNF) in Core Networks (CN) rather than the prior hardware-based approach. However, while this shift towards a fully software-based system design provides numerous significant benefits, such as increased interoperability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, it also brings with it an increased cybersecurity risk. Security is crucial to maintaining trust between vendors, operators, and consumers. Cyberattacks are rapidly increasing in number and sophistication, and we are seeing a shift towards zero-trust approaches. This means that even communications between VNFs inside a 5G core must be scrutinized and hardened against attacks, especially with the advent of quantum computers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), over the past 10 years, has led efforts to standardize post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to protect against quantum attacks. This paper covers a custom implementation of the open-source free5GC CN, to expand its HTTPS capabilities for VNFs by introducing PQC Key Encapsulation Methods (KEM) for Transport Layer Security (TLS) v1.3. This paper provides the details of this integration with a focus on the latency of different PQC KEMs in initial handshakes between VNFs, on packet size, and the implications in a 5G environment. This work also conducts a security comparison between the PQC-equipped free5GC and other open-source 5G CNs. The presented results indicate a negligible increase in UE connection setup duration and a small increase in connection setup data requirements, strongly indicating that PQC KEM’s benefits far outweigh any downsides when integrated into 5G and 6G core services. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work incorporating PQC into an open-source 5G core. Furthermore, the results from this effort demonstrate that employing PQC ciphers for securing VNF communications results in only a negligible impact on latency and bandwidth usage, thus demonstrating significant benefits to 5G cybersecurity.

Technology Empowers Finance: Boundaries and Risks

BigTech credit has enhanced financial inclusion, but it also poses concerns with its boundaries. This article uses theoretical frameworks and numerical simulations to examine the risks and inclusiveness of technology-empowered credit services for “long-tail” clients. This research discovered that the discrepancy between the commercial boundaries of BigTech credit and the technical limitations of risk management poses a risk in BigTech credit. The expanding boundaries of BigTech’s credit business may mitigate the representativeness of the data, resulting in a systematic deviation of unclear characteristics from the training sample data, which reduces the risk-control model’s ability to identify long-tail customers and raises the risk of credit defaults. Further computer simulations validate these results and demonstrate that competition among various companies would expedite the market’s transition over the boundary in case of a capital shortage. Finally, this article proposes setting up a joint-stock social unified credit technology company with data assets as an investment to facilitate the healthy and orderly development of financial technology institutions.

Aviation-BERT-NER: Named Entity Recognition for Aviation Safety Reports

This work introduces Aviation-BERT-NER, a Named Entity Recognition (NER) system tailored for aviation safety reports, building on the Aviation-BERT base model developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory. This system integrates aviation domain-specific data, including aircraft types, manufacturers, quantities, and aviation terminology, to identify named entities critical for aviation safety analysis. A key innovation of Aviation-BERT-NER is its template-based approach to fine-tuning, which utilizes structured datasets to generate synthetic training data that mirror the complexity of real-world aviation safety reports. This method significantly improves the model’s generalizability and adaptability, enabling rapid updates and customization to meet evolving domain-specific requirements. The development process involved careful data preparation, including the synthesis of entity types and the generation of labeled datasets through template filling. Testing on real-world narratives from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database highlighted Aviation-BERT-NER’s robustness, with a precision of 95.34%, recall of 94.62%, and F1 score of 94.78% when evaluated over 50 manually annotated (BIO tagged) paragraphs. This work addresses a critical gap in English language NER models for aviation safety, promising substantial improvements in the analysis and understanding of aviation safety reports.

Correspondence between Mawson and Simmers: the missing meteorological report of Ritchie Simmers from the BANZARE voyages of 1929–1931 in Antarctic waters

ABSTRACT The British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) operated during the 1929–1930 and 1930–1931 austral summers, primarily as a ship-borne expedition in the Southern Ocean. Involvement of meteorologist Ritchie Simmers from the New Zealand Meteorological Service was part of the New Zealand contribution to the expedition. He collected data assiduously, including two-hourly weather observations during the day and 34 balloon flights tracked by theodolite observations. Simmers worked up considerable data but did not produce anything in the BANZARE scientific report series, as expected by Professor Douglas Mawson, series editor and expedition leader. Based on correspondence in the Mawson Centre at the South Australian Museum between Mawson and Simmers about his pending report, we suggest reasons for the striking omission of meteorological information from the report series. Simmers had a busy, full-time career with the New Zealand Meteorological Service, and not until 1947 was he permitted to work on his report in office hours. He was distracted by other events, including studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). We suggest Simmers’ enthusiasm for the project waned after Mawson rebuffed potential collaboration with Professor Rossby at M.I.T. involving BANZARE meteorological data. Little of Simmers’ data set has been located.

Interlaboratory study of flexural strength in additively manufactured alumina

AbstractWe report the results of an international interlaboratory study of the flexural strength of alumina fabricated across six laboratories using the vat photopolymerization ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) technology. The mechanical testing of all the specimens, 142 in total, was performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) according to the well‐established four‐point bending method standardized for traditional ceramics. Overall, the existing ASTM standard for the four‐point bend testing proved adequate for AM ceramics, with several modifications to the specimen requirements to account for the specifics of AM processes. Critical flaws that caused failure were identified in all but two cases using optical fractography augmented with the imaging of fracture surfaces in a scanning electron microscope. The flexural strength data, analyzed following the Weibull statistics, exhibited considerable variation among the specimen sets manufactured by different laboratories. This variability correlated with the presence of many distinct critical flaws. We identified seven types of flaws that accounted for the failure of 94% of specimens. The prevalent flaws depend on the printing direction relative to the specimen's geometry. We discuss the nature of these flaws and their relation to the printing and post‐processing conditions. Removal of several types of critical flaws will significantly improve mechanical properties of ceramic parts built using vat‐photopolymerization AM.

How to run a qualitative methods short course in epidemiology: faculty and student perspectives

Abstract Background Qualitative research and mixed methods are core competencies for epidemiologists. In response to the shortage of guidance on graduate course development, we wrote a course development to guide faculty and students designing similar courses in epidemiology curricula. We combine established educational theory with faculty and student experiences from a recent introductory course for epidemiology and biostatistics doctoral students at the University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich. Objectives We propose a 1-ECTS, six session long, student-centred course with inverse in-person classroom teaching and practice exercises with faculty input. The overarching course objective is to introduce students to qualitative research and mixed methods. The proposed course covers learning outcomes in comprehension, knowledge, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Results Following an introductory session, the students engage in face-to-face interviews, focus group interviews, observational methods, analysis and how qualitative and quantitative methods are integrated in mixed methods. Furthermore, the course covers interviewer safety, research ethics, quality in qualitative research and a practice session focused on the use of interview hardware, including video and audio recorders. The student-led teaching characteristic of the course allows for an immersive and reflective teaching-learning environment. Conclusions After implementation of the course and learning from faculty and student perspectives, we propose these additional foci: a student project to apply learned knowledge to a case study; integration in mixed-methods; and providing faculty a larger space to cover theory and field anecdotes. Based on: Gille, et al. A guide for a student-led doctoral-level qualitative methods short course in epidemiology: faculty and student perspectives, International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 53, Issue 2, April 2024. Key messages • Qualitative research methods and mixed methods are core competencies for epidemiologists. • Students appreciate a student-centred course design with inverse classroom teaching and practice exercises.

E-Brachy: New dosimetry package for electronic brachytherapy sources.

Large reported variability in the material composition and geometrical components of the Xoft electronic high-dose-rate brachytherapy Causes inter-source discrepancy in the source output. This variability is due to the manual manufacturing and assembly of thesources. This study aimed to develop a dosimetry software tool called E-Brachy to characterize the Xoft source and quantify the discrepancies in its photon spectrum and dosimetricproperties. E-Brachy is based on the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit and consists of two parts. In part one, the geometry and material composition for the source received in the computer-aided design format from the vendor were converted to the geometry description markup language format using the GUIMesh Python tool and integrated into the E-Brachy software. There was a large variation in material composition and thickness for some of the tube components. The simulation started from electrons and resulted in x-ray generations in the anode region. Multithreading, a track length estimation, and the uniform bremsstrahlung splitting variance reduction techniques were used to decrease the simulation time and increase the x-ray production. The photon energy, position, and momentum were saved into a phase space file as the photon exited the source, but before interacting with the external environment. The obtained x-ray energy spectrum was compared with measurements from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In part two, by sampling from the generated photons, the dose rates and dosimetric parameters according to the TG-43 protocol were calculated for model S7500 and compared to the ones previously calculated for model S700 source, which were deemed identical by themanufacturer. The material composition that resulted in the most similar spectrum as the measured NIST spectrum with Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.99 and a calculated Euclidean difference of keV was chosen for further dosimetric analysis of the model S7500 source. Characteristic peaks showed the presence of tungsten, yttrium, and silver in the source components. Differences in dose rates between the two source models surpassed 20% for polar angles , reaching a peak at cm and . The differences in the radial dose function values were within 5%. The relative difference in percentage between the anisotropy function values of the two models was closer to 0 for smaller values, but at higher polar angles, they increased to 300%. A software package called E-Brachy was successfully developed for the characterization and dosimetry of Xoft electronic brachytherapy sources. E-Brachy can be combined with spectral measurements to investigate the inter- and intra-source variability. The software package was tested by comparing the simulated spectra from the S7500 Xoft source model with NIST measurements and its TG-43 parameters with the S700 model. The TG-43 parameters between the two sources significantly exceed the recommendations ofTG-56.

Sustainable Inventory Management: A Bibliometric study

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis on Sustainable inventory models. The methodology applied is review on previous research and the performance evaluation based on identified attributes, using MS Excel. The data set was obtained from Library Genesis (Libgen) using the search criteria Sustainable Inventory. A total of 78 papers became available based on the search criteria and were included for our analysis. Based on the analysis of the attributes, it has been observed that the most notable authors were Mr Umakanta Mishra, Mr Jei-Zheng Wu, and Biswajit Sarkar. The notable countries were USA, India and Taiwan. The most noted Universities were Vellore Institute of Technology, University of Tehran, Soochow University, Polytechnic University of Bari, Lund University, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University and Fu Jen Catholic University. Among the Journals, Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainability and IEEE are the notable ones. Among the Publishers, Elsevier, Springer and MDPI are the best contributors. There has been an increase in number of the publications during the years 2016-2020. Many significant topics pertaining to Sustainable Supply Chain, Inventory Models, Life Cycle Analysis, Environmental issues, Carbon Cap and Trade, etc have been thoroughly analysed in these papers. Solutions and the way forward have been suggested. Data on some of the practical case studies have also been provided. Such type of Bibliometric Analysis helps us to review the present state of research on the chosen topic and identify the key areas in which further research can be made.

Integrating health in urban planning curriculum across Indian planning institutes

Urban planning significantly influences the physical and health profile of urban environments. This paper explores the critical nexus between urban planning and public health, emphasizing the urgent need to integrate health considerations into the urban planning curriculum in India. Current urban planning courses often overlook public health aspects, resulting in a disconnect that could hinder the ability of urban environments to meet the health and well-being needs of their populations. Through a comprehensive review and analysis of curriculum data from selected Indian institutions of national importance—including the School of Planning and Architecture, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, and National Institute of Technology, Bhopal—this study identifies significant gaps in the inclusion of health-related content in urban planning education. The analysis reveals a low occurrence of health-related themes within the planning curriculum, with essential topics like public health history, environmental health, and health impact assessments seldom addressed. To bridge these gaps, the paper suggests incorporating mandatory health-focused courses, such as Health Impact Assessments and public health fundamentals, into the curriculum. It also recommends interdisciplinary collaboration with public health professionals to enrich planning education. By restructuring the curriculum to include more comprehensive health-related education, future urban planners can be better equipped to create healthier and more sustainable urban environments, ultimately enhancing public health outcomes in rapidly urbanizing spaces. This research not only sheds light on current educational inadequacies but also proposes actionable steps towards a more holistic integration of health and urban planning disciplines.

Simulation of stainless ferritic-martensitic and austenitic steel hardening after irradiation in ion accelerator. Part 2. Development of a methodology for determining the ion mode irradiation of austenitic steels

A methodology for determining the irradiation mode for ferritic-martensitic steels at ion accelerator has been developed and experimentally substantiated, providing radiation hardening of these steels, identical to that realized under neutron irradiation. The change in Vickers microhardness is used as a measure of radiation hardening. The paper presents the results of a study of radiation-induced changes in the microhardness of austenitic steels 08Kh18Н10Т and 08Kh16Н20М2Т irradiated in reactors SM-3, VVER-440, BOR-60, SM-3 + BOR-60 to damaging doses of 10.2–33.7 dpa in the interval of temperatures 60–500°C. A study of radiation-induced changes in microhardness in a wider range of irradiation temperatures, post-irradiation annealing of irradiated steels was carried out in the range from 400 to 600°C, simulating irradiation at temperatures equal to annealing temperatures. Data are presented on radiation-induced changes in microhardness after irradiation in the ion accelerator of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation – Institute for Physics and Power Engineering named after A.I. Leypunsky (IPPE) with Ni+4 ions and He+ ions up to concentrations of 0–7 appm/dpa at damaging doses of 13–30 dpa and temperatures of 300–650°. A transition function has been established that connects the irradiation of temperatures during neutron and ion irradiation at a given damaging dose, ensuring the same radiation hardening of austenitic steels.

Simulation of stainless ferritic-martensitic and austenitic steel hardening after irradiation in ion accelerator. Part 1. Development of a methodology for determining the ion mode irradiation of ferritic-martensitic steels

A methodology for determining the irradiation mode for ferritic-martensitic steels at ion accelerator has been developed and experimentally substantiated, providing radiation hardening of these steels, identical to that realized under neutron irradiation. The change in Vickers microhardness is used as a measure of radiation hardening. A study was carried out of radiation-induced changes in the microhardness of ferritic-martensitic steels 07Kh12NMFB and EP-823 after neutron and ion irradiation to damaging doses of 10–30 dpa in the temperature range 350–600°C. These materials were irradiated with neutrons in the reactors BOR-60, BN-600 and in the ion accelerator of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation – Institute for Physics and Power Engineering named after A.I. Leypunsky (IPPE) with Fe3+, Fe4+ ions and He+ ions to concentrations of 0.2 and 4 appm/dpa. A transition function has been established that connects the irradiation temperatures for neutron and ion irradiation at a given damaging dose, ensuring the same radiation hardening.

Implementing of a grid-connected PV energy system in building with medium consumption: A techno- economic case study

Renewable energy sources facilitate decentralized electricity production, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and contributing to a sustainable energy era. Algeria is one of the countries implementing a policy aimed at energy transition, with buildings playing a major role in this process. They consume more energy than any other sector and therefore significantly contribute to climate change. While various projects related to energy efficiency are being carried out, they are mostly limited to rural and Saharan areas or low-consumption residential buildings. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating a grid-connected photovoltaic system into a medium-consumption building located in one of Algeria’s major cities, Constantine, to meet the building’s electrical energy demand. This paper presents a methodology for optimally sizing a grid-connected photovoltaic system to supply power to the Institute of Nutrition, Food, and Agro-Food Technologies (INATAA) in Constantine, Algeria. The technical and economic aspects of the system’s components were considered to determine the most feasible configuration, using real data from the institute and the HOMER Pro simulation software. The simulation results show that the grid-connected PV system, without storage, can meet the institute’s energy demand (with 671,061 kWh/year of energy produced, of which 81.3 % is photovoltaic energy). This configuration offers the lowest costs, with a Net Present Cost (NPC) of $748,413 and a Cost of Energy (COE) of $0.0894/kWh. Therefore, integration of a grid-connected photovoltaic system in medium-consumption buildings can effectively meet energy needs while reducing costs. Thus, this study demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of such system to support the energy transition in urban areas in Algeria.

Research on the characteristics of the Helium plasma beam in HIT-PSI

As a high heat flux linear plasma device designed for studying divertor materials in future fusion reactors, HIT-PSI(Plasma Surface Interaction device at Harbin Institute of Technology) has been successfully constructed and has maintained stable operation since its completion. The characteristics of He plasma beams in HIT-PSI are investigated by emission spectroscopy and an infrared camera, with preliminary irradiation experiments conducted by bombarding tungsten with the beam. For relatively conservative discharge parameters, HIT-PSI achieved a steady-state heat flux capacity of ∼40 MW/m2 using infrared measurements, with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the heat flux beam reaching 4 mm. These characteristics make HIT-PSI an advanced platform for testing divertor materials and plasma-facing components, providing essential experimental supports for research and development of high-performance divertor materials.