Multiple Issues Research Articles

EV Integration-Oriented DC Conversion of AC Low-Voltage Distribution Networks and the Associated Adaptive Control Strategy

Driven by carbon-neutral targets and transportation electrification, the widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs) has become an irreversible trend. However, low-voltage distribution networks (LVDNs) can face several challenges under the high-penetration EV integration, including overloads, voltage violations and unbalance issues. In this paper, an EV integration-oriented DC conversion scheme and the associated adaptive control method for LVDNs is proposed, aiming at releasing more capacity for EVs and collaborative improvement of the above issues caused by EV charging. Based on analyzing the influence of different charging piles connected to the AC and DC LVDNs, a DC conversion scheme for three-phase four-wire LVDNs under high-penetration EVs is proposed. The voltage source converter (VSC) control strategies aimed at alleviating the overload of the DTs, voltage violations, and three-phase unbalance are designed separately based on the modified three-phase four-wire voltage sensitivity. Then, a coordinated adaptive control strategy of on-load tap changer and VSCs is proposed considering the simultaneous occurrence of multiple power quality issues in hybrid AC/DC LVDNs. Case study verifies the effectiveness of the proposed DC conversion and adaptive control methods, by which the maximum EV penetration of the hybrid AC/DC LVDN is increased from 85% to 215% compared with the AC LVDN.

Determination of Ellipsoidal Seed–Soil Interaction Parameters for DEM Simulation

During precision sowing, the contact process between the soil and seeds cannot be ignored. The constitutive relationship of soil is relatively complex, with characteristics such as high nonlinearity, while the contact mechanism between the soil and seeds is unclear. To better understand the contact between seeds and soil, it is necessary to establish a reasonable contact model. Ellipsoidal seeds, such as soybean, red bean, and kidney bean seeds, were adopted as research objects. In this paper, we used the discrete element method to establish an ellipsoidal seed–soil contact model. The JKR + bonding model was adopted for describing the adhesion between soil particles, and the Hertz–Mindlin new restitution (HMNS) model was used for ellipsoidal seed particles to eliminate the multiple contact point issue when modeling with the multi-sphere filling method. Moreover, both simulations and experiments were conducted to calibrate the interaction parameters between soil and seeds. The path of steepest ascent test and Box‒Behnken design (BBD) tests were also used, as well as direct shear tests. Thus, certain soil parameter values were obtained, namely the JKR surface energy was 4.436 J/m2, the normal stiffness per unit area was 2.86 × 106 N/m3, the shear stiffness per unit area was 5.54 × 105 N/m3, the critical normal stress was 1833 Pa, and the critical shear stress was 3332 Pa. In addition, the simulation parameters for ellipsoidal seeds were obtained from previous works. Moreover, to obtain more accurate ellipsoidal seed–soil interaction parameters, collision tests, static friction tests, and rolling friction tests were adopted. A single-factor test was used to calibrate the ellipsoidal seed–soil interaction parameters. The calibration results were as follows: the collision restitution coefficients of ellipsoidal seeds with soil were all 0.25. The static friction coefficient of soybeans with soil was 0.6, that of red beans with soil was 0.65, and that of kidney beans with soil was 0.5. The rolling friction coefficient of soybeans with soil was 0.1, that of red beans with soil was 0.14, and that of kidney beans with soil was 0.14. Finally, the rationality of parameter selection was verified through piling tests between ellipsoidal seeds and soil. The relative error of the angle of repose of soybean/soil was 2.99%, that of red bean/soil was 0.60%, and that of kidney bean/soil was 0.55%. Thus, the feasibility and rationality of the contact models between the ellipsoidal seeds and soil established in this paper, as well as the parameter selection, were verified.

Conversion of metro railway into smart charging zero-emission transportation hub for supporting electric train, shuttle bus, cars and public EV charging station

The unprecedented electrification of the transportation sector and rapid renewable energy penetration create multiple issues on available grid networks. Large-scale integration of various electric vehicle (EV) types into a distributed renewable energy system has not been studied before, and their systematic integration method and quantitative impacts are still unclear in academia. Therefore, this project converted an existing net-zero metro railway network into a smart charging EV hub by transforming the stations to smartly charge all types of EV intersecting at a station, such as public EV charging stations, electric shuttle buses and metro-owned EV cars. Accordingly, the methodology begins with the multiobjective analyses of integrating a public EV charging station into a swappable battery-powered metro station. Secondly, an electric shuttle bus is integrated into the stations without and with bidirectional energy sharing and evaluated for the impact of driving patterns, parking time, and schedule coordination. Thirdly, the metro-owned EV cars are incorporated into the stations and analysed for the number of journeys without and with bidirectional energy sharing. Finally, the importance of control priority while designing the smart charging EV hub is examined. Overall, converting a metro railway into a smart charging EV hub significantly increases the renewable energy consumption from 0.58 to 0.76, improves the net present value from 71.35 × 106 HKD to –35.02 × 106 HKD, and reduces the annual maximum grid import from 1099 kW to 777 kW. The success of vehicle-to-building energy sharing mainly depends on the driving demand ratio to the battery size.

Insights into targeting cellular senescence with senolytic therapy: The journey from preclinical trials to clinical practice

Interconnected, fundamental aging processes are central to many illnesses and diseases. Cellular senescence is a mechanism that halts the cell cycle in response to harmful stimuli. Senescent cells (SnCs) can emerge at any point in life, and their persistence, along with the numerous proteins they secrete, can negatively affect tissue function. Interventions aimed at combating persistent SnCs, which can destroy tissues, have been used in preclinical models to delay, halt, or even reverse various diseases. Consequently, the development of small-molecule senolytic medicines designed to specifically eliminate SnCs has opened potential avenues for the prevention or treatment of multiple diseases and age-related issues in humans. In this review, we explore the most promising approaches for translating small-molecule senolytics and other interventions targeting senescence in clinical practice. This discussion highlights the rationale for considering SnCs as therapeutic targets for diseases affecting individuals of all ages.

Participatory modeling for high complexity, multi‐system issues: challenges and recommendations for balancing qualitative understanding and quantitative questions

AbstractCommunity stakeholder participation can be incredibly valuable for the qualitative model development process. However, modelers often encounter challenges for participatory modeling projects focusing on high‐complexity, synergistic interactions between multiple issues, systems, and granularity. The diverse stakeholder perspectives and volumes of information necessary for developing such models can yield qualitative models that are difficult to translate into quantitative simulation or clear insight for informed decision‐making. There are few recommended best practices for developing high‐complexity, participatory models. We use an ongoing project as a case study to highlight three practical challenges for tackling high‐complexity, multi‐system issues with system dynamics tools. These challenges include balanced and respectful stakeholder engagement, defining boundaries and levels of variable aggregation, and timing and processes for qualitative/quantitative model integration. Our five recommendations to address these challenges serve as a foundation for further research on methods for developing translatable qualitative multi‐system models for informing actions for systemic change. © 2024 System Dynamics Society.

Robust control for improving performance of grid-synchronized solar PV-BES-wind based microgrid

An integration of hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) to the grid results in power quality issues at the point of interconnection. This paper proposes an approach to investigate and mitigate power quality issues and uncertainties associated with integration of a HRES that includes a solar photovoltaic (PV) array, a wind generator, and battery energy storage (BES). The system functions in grid tied mode, standalone mode and seamless mode transition between these modes. Primary objective of proposed control approach is to ensure stable and reliable operation while mitigating effects of power quality issues. To achieve this objective, proposed control approach employs advanced control strategies, including generalized fourth order filter (GFOF) for grid tied mode and phase angle estimation. An off-grid mode uncertainty and disturbances are overcome by proportional resonant based control. GFOF addresses multiple power quality issues associated with grid-connected mode, including robust performance during voltage unbalance, harmonics suppression, DC offset removal, weak grid conditions, and evaluation of unit templates. GFOF extracts fundamental load currents and voltages for evaluation of reference grid currents and phase angle. This precisely estimates frequency and phase angle for seamless synchronization. It provides adaptive mode transition. Power quality of currents is enhanced in both islanded and grid-connected modes through utilization of GFOF control, ensuring that total harmonic distortions (THDs) of grid currents remain below 5% (simulated THD is 1.77% and experimental THD is 3.80%), as specified by the IEEE-1547and 519 standards. A comparative analysis has justified efficacy of control. Simulated and experimental results confirm effectiveness of proposed controllers in various scenarios, demonstrating their ability to provide a favourable solution for controlling unfavourable grid conditions with technical strength and precision.

Women Representatives and Politics of Image Construct in Pakistan: A Study of Parliamentary Debates on Selected Issues (2013-2018)

Politics and political process across the world has generated a debate that how to create an inclusive democracy in which vulnerable segments of the society has to be provided a sense of equality and justice. Pakistan since 1947 and onward has undergone a systemic change to address multiple issue and problems that needed to refurbish its social and political system to accommodate the justified concerns of the subjected parts of the polity. Women quota was increased in political representation which helped them to break the glass ceiling effect and gave a sense of self-construction. In the parliament, they automated the concept ‘personal is political’ to dispel the social taboos which were working under the auspices of patriarchy and religiosity. In the above given time span of the government, women parliamentarians raised their voices over all kinds of issues and abridged the gulf between public and private. Despite toeing party lines of which they are nominee, they were successful in creating niche for them in the domain of politics. They developed their own caucus to make their identity meaningful in the politics of Pakistan. Parliamentary debates from archives of the parliament were consulted for this research.

Synthesising and Conceptualising Circular Supply Chains: A State-of-the-Art Literature Review

The advent of the circular economy principle has triggered supply chain transformation in recent years. This article aims to conduct a state-of-the-art review of circular supply chains. To this aim, 91 peer-reviewed published journal articles from academic databases were collected and evaluated using an inductive approach. The study findings are classified into multiple dimensions of circular supply chains. These include designing products for circular supply chains, supply chain integration, digital transformation for circular supply chains, end-of-life management and circular supply chain capabilities. The study’s contribution is to analyse multiple issues and develop unique propositions of the circular supply chain. In the future, this study may be extended to specific dimensions such as digital transformation, supply chain collaboration and critical success factors of the circular supply chain.

Erratum to “20 years of niche parties being ‘fundamentally different’: Party constituency versus mean voter representation on multiple issues”

Erratum to “20 years of niche parties being ‘fundamentally different’: Party constituency versus mean voter representation on multiple issues”

Introduction to the Often Overlooked Multiple Exceptionalities Special Issue

Introduction to the Often Overlooked Multiple Exceptionalities Special Issue

Institutional characteristics of education systems and inequalities: Introduction III

This is the third and final of multiple themed issues of International Journal of Comparative Sociology ( IJCS) dedicated to the question of how education systems shape educational inequalities in terms of systematic variations access to and uptake of education along certain axes of inequality such as social origin, gender, and immigrant background. While the previous introductions dealt with the research program, conceptual background, and methodological challenges in the study of the link between institutional characteristics of education systems and educational inequalities (Introduction I) as well as with the state-of-research (Introduction II), this third and final introduction is dedicated to discuss certain research desiderata in terms of an outlook with an eye on the latest major studies in this vibrant research field.

The Impact of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation on Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review

Molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) is a qualitative developmental enamel defect with a prevalence of 13% worldwide. This review aims to outline the current evidence regarding the impact of MIH on children’s oral health and, more broadly, their day-to-day activities. MIH is associated with negative sequelae, including hypersensitivity, post-eruptive breakdown, the rapid development of carious lesions and poor aesthetics. Other concerns pertain to the clinical management of MIH and include difficulty in achieving local anaesthesia, increased dental fear and anxiety (DFA) and increased behaviour management problems. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is the most standardised measure of patient impact; however, no instruments have been validated for use in MIH populations. The few existing observational studies investigating the impact of MIH on OHRQoL in children have produced conflicting results. Interventions to alleviate hypersensitivity and improve aesthetics had a positive impact on the OHRQoL of MIH-affected children. Multiple methodological issues make it difficult to measure the impact of MIH, including heterogeneity in the MIH severity classification, an overlap in the indices used to diagnose dental caries and MIH as well as the subjectivity of outcome measures for hypersensitivity and DFA.

‘Sing, My Child’: The Lullaby's Dialogical Emotional Atmosphere in Magdalena Fleitas's ‘Rayito de sol’

Despite being presented and commonly perceived as a simple and straightforward genre, lullabies raise multiple issues and questions. When attempting to contribute to their study, fleshing out research from a segment of critical theory seldom applied to this sort of literary work can prove useful. Taking infant listeners as possible venture points to explore the genre might allow us to outline an adequate theoretical framework to analyse lullabies whose textual configuration highlights the infant's reception as an opening for epistemological construction. Such is the case, I argue, in Magdalena Fleitas's ‘Rayito de sol’, as the singer-songwriter imprints her song with openings for the child to engage in a dialogic dimension pulsing in the articulation practices and enactment contexts of every lullaby, and which further allows us to account for how corporeality and emotion interconnect in order to substantiate a field of shared emotions between adults and children.

Inclusive learning in higher education: anthropology and critical consciousness lens

Higher education institutions have come under fire for their perceived restrictive tactics and lack of diversity among students and faculty. This article dives into the possible synergy between anthropology and critical consciousness, drawing inspiration from Paulo Freire's seminal contributions. The major goal is to create a revolutionary transition in higher education toward a more inclusive educational paradigm. Furthermore, this study investigates the influence of political landscapes on educational curriculum, emphasizing the need for a revolutionary pedagogical framework that fosters critical consciousness in both students and instructors. The prospect of developing a more equitable and inclusive learning environment within higher education becomes reachable via the harmonic integration of different pedagogical techniques, one that is sensitive to the diverse requirements of all learners. This attempt, however, is not without difficulties, such as opposition to change and the political terrain's intricacies. Professional development opportunities and coordinated efforts between educators, administrators, and policymakers are required for successful implementation. To summarize, the priority of social responsibility in higher education is evident, and adopting transformational pedagogy is critical for tackling the multiple issues inherent in the twenty-first century.

RECCIPE: A new framework assessing localized cell-cell interaction on gene expression in multicellular ST data.

Cell-cell interaction (CCI) plays a pivotal role in cellular communication within the tissue microenvironment. The recent development of spatial transcriptomics (ST) technology and associated data analysis methods has empowered researchers to systematically investigate CCI. However, existing methods are tailored to single-cell resolution datasets, whereas the majority of ST platforms lack such resolution. Additionally, the detection of CCI through association screening based on ST data, which has complicated dependence structure, necessitates proper control of false discovery rates due to the multiple hypothesis testing issue in high dimensional spaces. To address these challenges, we introduce RECCIPE, a novel method designed for identifying cell signaling interactions across multiple cell types in spatial transcriptomic data. RECCIPE integrates gene expression data, spatial information and cell type composition in a multivariate regression framework, enabling genome-wide screening for changes in gene expression levels attributed to CCIs. We show that RECCIPE not only achieves high accuracy in simulated datasets but also provides new biological insights from real data obtained from a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Overall, our framework provides a useful tool for studying impact of cell-cell interactions on gene expression in multicellular systems.

Sustainable Development Goals and Gender Equality: A Social Design Approach on Gender-Based Violence

Gender equality is a central human aspect of the Sustainable Development Goals. Among its multiple and complex issues, this research highlights gender-based violence as a domain that affects women’s empowerment and the guarantees of an effective equality on numerous levels. To address such a complex structure, which perpetuates inequalities between men and women, generating multiple effects and jeopardising social changes, social design can provide contributions on cultural and social levels. To achieve social systemic changes, one needs to activate profound cultural transformations. Thus, how can we change culture without rejecting the need to empower women and promote equality? The Montréal Design Declaration (2017) recognised social design’s potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), to contribute to global challenges, and to accept a calling for stakeholders’ integration and agency promotion. This review explores how social design can provide contributions with regard to SDG5 and gender-based violence, presenting relevant domains that actively contribute to cultural transformation to address interventions in this systemic phenomenon.

A benchmark of optimization solvers for genome-scale metabolic modeling of organisms and communities.

Genome-scale metabolic modeling is a powerful framework for predicting metabolic phenotypes of any organism with an annotated genome. For two decades, this framework has been used for the rational design of microbial cell factories. In the last decade, the range of applications has exploded, and new frontiers have emerged, including the study of the gut microbiome and its health implications and the role of microbial communities in global ecosystems. However, all the critical steps in this framework, from model construction to simulation, require the use of powerful linear optimization solvers, with the choice often relying on commercial solvers for their well-known computational efficiency. In this work, I benchmark a total of six solvers (two commercial and four open source) and measure their performance to solve linear and mixed-integer linear problems of increasing complexity. Although commercial solvers are still the fastest, at least two open-source solvers show comparable performance. These results show that genome-scale metabolic modeling does not need to be hindered by commercial licensing schemes and can become a truly open science framework for solving urgent societal challenges.IMPORTANCEModeling the metabolism of organisms and communities allows for computational exploration of their metabolic capabilities and testing their response to genetic and environmental perturbations. This holds the potential to address multiple societal issues related to human health and the environment. One of the current limitations is the use of commercial optimization solvers with restrictive licenses for academic and non-academic use. This work compares the performance of several commercial and open-source solvers to solve some of the most complex problems in the field. Benchmarking results show that, although commercial solvers are indeed faster, some of the open-source options can also efficiently tackle the hardest problems, showing great promise for the development of open science applications.

ADR assessment of isoniazid induced psychosis: Case report and review of literature

Tuberculosis ranks among the top 10 causes of death globally and stands as the primary cause attributed to a single infectious agent. Among all antitubercular drugs, Isoniazid is most important role in the management of pulmonary tuberculosis.Various neuropsychiatric adverse effects have been documented in association with the use of isoniazid, both in therapeutic and overdose scenarios. This case report describes a 68-year-old male with multiple health issues, including disseminated tuberculosis, developed drug-induced psychosis, likely due to isoniazid in his anti-tubercular therapy. This case underscores the challenges of psychiatric adverse effects in tuberculosis treatment and emphasizes the importance of prompt recognition and intervention.

How do increased job demands resulting from rationalization of costs exhaust flight attendants and push them to leave? An international study

Cost effectiveness becomes a priority of airlines pushed organizations to achieve their objectives of being cost leader. This strategy generated multiple employees' related issues such as emotional exhaustion, work-family conflict, and a high turnover. However, these issues still need more research in the airline sector. In the current study, we aim to explore the indirect effect of increased job demands on intention to leave via work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion that provides an insight of the route towards flight attendants’ intention to leave. Data was collected from 1664 flight attendants working in three countries (Canada, France, and Germany) using questionnaires online. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate the said relationships. Results exhibit that all the factors contributing towards intention to leave are significantly and positively interrelated. The results also revealed that work-family conflict positively mediates the relationship between increased job demands and emotional exhaustion and this last mediates the relationship between increased job demands and intention to leave. Furthermore, psychosocial safety climate acts as a moderator on the relationships between increased job demands and work-family conflict and on the link between this last variable and emotional exhaustion.

Sleep, Fatigue, and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Older Adults with Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers Receiving Intensive Outpatient Wound Care.

Objective: Chronic venous ulcers are a relatively common and distressing condition that disproportionately affects older individuals. Along with multiple concomitant issues such as wound drainage, pain, and mobility impairments, individuals with chronic venous leg ulcers (CVLUs) commonly report sleep disturbances and fatigue; however, limited research has examined these symptoms in relation to inflammatory biomarkers in this population over the intensive wound care treatment trajectory. This study aimed at describing the symptoms of sleep and fatigue in older adults with CVLUs receiving intensive wound treatment with weekly debridement and exploring the relationships between these symptoms and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), c-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin (IL)-6. Approach: Demographics, clinical characteristics, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), TNF-α, CRP, and IL-6 levels were collected from 84 older adults with CVLUs at three time points (baseline, week 4, and week 8). Data analysis included descriptive statistics and Bayesian estimation of associations. Results: Findings showed a consistent pattern of poor sleep quality and mild fatigue among these individuals. Lower IL-6 levels at week 4 and higher CRP levels at week 8 were linked to poor sleep quality. Higher CRP levels were linked to greater fatigue at baseline and week 8. Sleep and fatigue were correlated at all time points. Innovation and Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of clinicians evaluating sleep and fatigue in those with CVLUs. Further research is needed to validate circulating inflammatory biomarkers to enhance our understanding of sleep and fatigue's role in wound healing.