Present Paper Research Articles

Electrical discharge reproduction in rod-barrier-plane system

The present paper deals with new modeling to reproduce the electric discharge in the rod-plane air gap system with rubber insulating barrier under AC and impulse voltage. This model considers the randomness character of discharge evolution which is governed by the electric field. The discharges shape obtained by this model are compared with ones given by experimental tests. The established model reproduces correctly the forms of discharges obtained by experimental tests under AC voltage. It is found that the behavior of the electrical discharge depends not only on the dimension (thickness and width) of the insulating barriers but on its positions in the air gap as well. It is to highlight that the mode of applied voltage is of key importance barrier. Experimental investigation shows that the developed arc can evolve on 1 to 4 channels. The generated discharges in AC voltage distinguish by the formation of a multiple-channel arc. Whereas, the discharge under lightning impulse voltage found to progress in a single channel whatever the barrier position and dimensions. The model confirms that electric field is the most important factor in the behavior of the rod-insulating barrier-plane system submitted to high voltage.

Analysis of preferences of households for choosing heating and cooling systems: A discrete choice analysis in Iran

The residential sector uses a large fraction of energy for heating and cooling to provide comfort conditions for households. Technical features of appliances are determining factors of the demand for energy. The present paper thus aims to study the determinants of household adoption decision by applying the discrete choice model. Households face with unordered choice, and multinomial and mixed logit models are employed to study the heterogeneity of choices of households related to heating and cooling technologies. While most of the research works have considered preferences based on cross-sectional data collected through discrete choice experiments, the present study employs micro-level household survey data including observed preferences in order to contribute to better understanding of the actual choice behavior of households. In addition, the dynamic effect of variation of variables on the household preferences have been investigated over time. The results show that heterogenous preferences of families in choosing appliances are affected by socio-demographic characteristics. Analysis of marginal effects indicate that urbanization, education, building type and households expenditure are the most effective parameters. The level of education has the most positive impact on the adoption of wall-mounted package and split air conditioner where the probability of using them has increased by 1.65% and 4.87%, respectively. On the other hand, high education level reduces the probability of gas heater and fan adoption by 3.49% and 3.43%. The estimated results show that urbanization increases the probability of choosing central heating by 3.73% and split air conditioner by 6.1% while it decreases the adoption probability of oil heater by 5.02% and fan as by 8.9%.

Optimising O&M scheduling in offshore wind farms considering weather forecast uncertainty and wake losses

Offshore wind farms, while strategically positioned to maximise wind energy capture, are exposed to harsh environments, impacting their reliability and accessibility. Low reliability and accessibility in turn translate into high Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs, which represent approximately 30% of the total lifetime costs of the project. One approach to reduce O&M costs is to improve maintenance planning decisions. The present paper presents a novel O&M scheduling methodology for offshore wind farm operations based on wind and wave forecasts. The methodology forecasts farm yield considering farm wake effects to identify optimal operation schedules, vessel routing, and turbine maintenance sequences that minimise costs and revenue losses due to downtime. Weather forecast uncertainty is modelled and integrated into the decision-making process to minimise weather risks. A case study inspired by the WindFloat Atlantic floating wind project was used to demonstrate the optimisation potential. Results suggest that adopting the proposed methodology over business-as-usual scheduling significantly boosts offshore wind farm operational profits during the forecasted period, with increases ranging from 2% to 24%, depending on the scenario considered. It was found that integrating the wind farm wake losses into the scheduling decisions can improve the optimal scheduling solution and further minimise total operation costs.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy for people with gambling disorder?

Gambling disorder is a severe mental health and behavioural problem with harmful consequences, including financial, relationship and mental health problems. The present paper initiates discussion on the use of psychedelics combined with psychotherapeutic support as a potential treatment option for people living with a gambling disorder. Recent studies have shown promising results using psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) to treat anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and various substance use disorders. Considering the similarities in the underlying psychosocial and neurobiological mechanisms of gambling disorder and other addictive disorders, the authors suggest that psychedelic-assisted therapy could be effective in treating gambling disorder. The paper also underscores the need for further research into the viability and effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapy for gambling disorder.

Effects of e-learning on master EFL students’ academic achievement: A case study

The rationale of the present paper is to investigate the effectiveness of e-learning anent the students' academic achievement in English a a foreign language. A case study has been conducted  at the Department of Letters and English Language by taking into consideration the students from two different Master sections at Ain-Temouchent university namely, 'Didactics and Applied Linguistics' and 'Literature and Civilization'. Through the use of an online questionnaire, the results revealed that the majority of the respondents under investigation approve the idea that e-learning has a positive impact on the academic performance and success of the learners, and that e-learning can be a complementary aspect to classroom learning for the best possible outcomes as regards academic achievement. 

A comprehensive parametric study and multi-objective optimization of turbulent jet array impingement for uniform cooling of gas turbine blades with minimized compression power

In the present paper, a comprehensive parametric study and multi-objective optimizations on jet array impingement cooling are conducted for mid-chord sections of gas turbine blades to maximize the heat transfer uniformity on the target plate and minimize the air compression power consumption at different desired Nusselt numbers. The validated numerical method based on RANS equations is utilized to determine the effects of Reynolds number (2500≤Re≤35000), jet spacings (3≤Px,Py≤8), and the jet-to-target distance (0.75≤Pz≤3) on air compression power (Wc), average Nusselt number (Nu‾), and heat transfer uniformity index (UI). According to the parametric study, the increase of Re improves Nu‾ and UI, while intensively increasing Wc. The effect of jet-to-target distance is a function of jet spacings; with the increase of Pz at low jet spacings, Wc,Nu‾, and UI are reduced. Although, at large spacings, Nu‾ and UI increase with Pz, and Wc is independent of Pz. Additionally, the increase of Px decreases Wc, Nu‾, and UI. Increasing Py reduces Nu‾ and Wc. But at small Px and Pz, the UI is descending; while at large Px and Pz, the UI tends to ascend. Three high-accuracy surrogate models are developed using backpropagation artificial neural networks (ANN) for estimating Wc, Nu‾, and UI for input design variables. Sobol global sensitivity analysis is also performed based on the developed models for quantifying the influence of design variables and their interactions on objective functions. As expected, the results indicate that Wc and Nu‾ are the most sensitive to Re, and UI is mainly affected by Px, whereas Py is more affecting the uniformity index rather than compression power. Finally, to find out the best design and flow conditions, optimizations are conducted by the NSGA-II algorithm. The optimal Pareto frontier and final decided solutions by TOPSIS and LINMAP methods are then demonstrated for the desired Nusselt number (NuD) of 70. The TOPSIS method indicates Px=4.70, Py=3.25, Pz=1.40, and Re = 13800 as the best compromise for optimization. The analysis of Pareto solutions in the range of NuD from 35 to 130 suggests a variety of optimal flow and geometrical arrangements for a trade-off between objective functions; therefore, at most, 50% less compression power or 5% more uniformity is approachable corresponding to the design requirements.

A Proposal for the Identity of the Inner Asian City of Ornas (Hornach) Mentioned in Thirteenth-Century Latin Sources

Ornas (also Hornach) appears in the mentions of several Latin authors in the mid-thirteenth century as an important city deep in Asia that had been conquered by the Mongols. There have been several past suggestions by scholars for its identity; the scattered mentions of Ornas (Hornach) have been variously suggested to refer to Tana, Otrar, or Konye-Urgench. The present paper argues that these references, though confused on matters of geography since the Western European authors were writing about largely unknown regions that they did not personally visit, are typically references to the city of Konye-Urgench. The Latin authors’ descriptions of its fall to the Mongols unquestionably draw parallels with Middle Eastern, Rus’, Chinese, and Mongol accounts. This paper argues that the Latin references to Ornas’ proximity to a nearby sea are related to the Aral Sea which had southerly stretches very close to Konya-Urgench as is indicated, for instance from Russian survey maps of the nineteenth century. This identification allows us to place John of Plano Carpini’s description of the fall of Ornas within a larger, cohesive narrative which, though confused on points, offers insights on the fall of the Khwarazmian Empire in the early 1220s.

Uncovering the interactions and potentials of magnesium and boron nitride nanostructures for magnesium-ion batteries

In present research paper, relationships between a magnesium atom and a magnesium ion (Mg2+) were examined with four different nanostructures: a boron nitride nanotube and a boron nitride nanocone. Our goal was to determine cell voltage (V) values for Mg-ion batteries (MIBs). We conducted calculations employing ωB97XD level of theory and 6-31G(d) basis set to analyze total energy, optimize the geometry, and examine the frontier molecular orbitals. The DFT calculations provided clarification regarding the energy adsorption changes (Ead) between the Mg2+ ion and nanostructures, indicating that the order of Ead is BN tube > BN cone. However, the nanocone exhibits the highest Vcell value, and alterations in Vcell for Mg-ion batteries follow order of BN cone > BN tube. Present research provides theoretical insights into the potential of magnesium as an anode material in batteries, highlighting its favorable Vcell.

AI-powered oral cancer detection: A breakthrough in dental diagnostics

Oral cancer is a global issue that poses challenges in both diagnosis and treatment. About 50% of cases are detected at an advanced stage, leading to a low 5-year survival rate. Visual assessments are conventionally employed in dental clinics for the detection of oral cancer, but, their precision is greatly influenced by the proficiency and knowledge of the practitioner, which can significantly differ. Furthermore, the subjective character of these tests might lead to inconsistencies in the diagnosis, hence increasing the probability of either an under- or overdiagnosis. Moreover, the diagnosis of oral cancer entails a substantial emotional burden as a result of protracted and intricate medical interventions, which in turn induces considerable worry in patients. In recent times, artificial intelligence has begun to assist in the diagnosis of oral cancer through many methods. AI-based diagnostic systems have the capability to analyse large amounts of data, including intraoral camera pictures, radiographs, and advanced imaging like MRI or CT scans. This allows them to detect even small changes and enhance image analysis. Thus, the present paper discusses the ways AI powered oral cancer detection can reduce the risks and increase accuracy to give better quality of life to patients.

Melatonin facts: Melatonin lacks immuno-inflammation boosting capacities at the molecular and cellular levels

Among the properties melatonin is claimed to possess, are the immuno-inflammation inductive capacities that would be responsible of some of the paramount of activities melatonin is reported to have in most of the human pathological conditions. In the present paper, we measured the effect of melatonin on established cellular models of immuno-inflammation, and found none. The discrepancies are discussed, especially because those properties are reported at pharmacological concentration (1 μM and beyond) at which the melatonin receptors are desensitized by internalization, leading to putative non-receptor-dependent mechanism of action.

The Build-Up Construction for Codes over a Commutative Non-Unitary Ring of Order 9

The build-up method is a powerful class of propagation rules that generate self-dual codes over finite fields and unitary rings. Recently, it was extended to non-unitary rings of order 4, to generate quasi self-dual codes. In the present paper, we introduce three such propagation rules to generate self-orthogonal, self-dual and quasi self-dual codes over a special non-unitary ring of order 9. As an application, we classify the three categories of codes completely in length at most 3, and partially in lengths 4 and 5, up to monomial equivalence.

Starlikeness and close-to-convexity involving certain differential inequalities

In the present paper, we study certain differential inequalities involving meromorphic functions in the open unit disk and obtain certain sufficient conditions for starlikeness and close-to-convexity of meromorphic functions. Mathematics Subject Classification (2010): 30C45, 30C80. Received 06 April 2021; Accepted 11 October 2022

The Analysis of Sub-Synchronous Resonance in a Wind Farm for a Doubly-Fed Induction Generator Using Modern Analytical Method

The occurrence of Sub-Synchronous Resonance (SSR) phenomena can be attributed to the interaction that takes place between wind turbine generators and series-compensated transmission lines. The Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) is widely recognized as a prevalent generator form employed in wind energy conversion systems. The present paper commences with an extensive exposition on modal analysis techniques employed in a series of compensated wind farms featuring Doubly Fed Induction Generators (DFIGs). The system model encompasses various components, including the aerodynamics of a wind turbine, an induction generator characterized by a sixth-order model, a second-order two-mass shaft system, a series compensated transmission line described by a fourth-order model, controllers for the Rotor-Side Converter (RSC) and the Grid-Side Converter (GSC) represented by an eighth-order model, and a first-order DC-link model. The technique of eigenvalue-based SSR analysis is extensively utilized in various academic and research domains. The eigenvalue technique depends on the initial conditions of state variables to yield an accurate outcome. The non-iterative approach, previously employed for the computation of initial values of the state variables, has exhibited issues with convergence, lack of accuracy, and excessive computational time. The comparative study evaluates the time-domain simulation outcomes under different wind speeds and compensation levels, along side the eigenvalue analysis conducted using both the suggested and non-iterative methods. This comparative analysis is conducted to illustrate the proposed approach efficacy and precision. The results indicate that the eigenvalue analysis conducted using the proposed technique exhibits more accuracy, as it aligns with the findings of the simulations across all of the investigated instances. The process of validation is executed with the MATLAB program. Within the context of the investigation, it has been found that increasing compensation levels while simultaneously decreasing wind speed leads to system instability. Therefore, modifying the compensation level by the current wind speed is advisable.

Ottoman Policies Regarding Shah Ismāʿīl II as Seen through Ottoman Documents

AbstractRelations between Iran and the Ottoman Empire during the Safavid era were never free of tension, even when there was peace between the two states. In peacetime, both powers secretly and closely monitored the other's movements, either in anticipation of or in preparation for attacks. Due to the destruction of Safavid archives, there is little documentary information in Iranian archives about Iranian-Ottoman relations in the period, forcing us to rely mainly on chronicles and travelogues. However, the Ottoman Mühimme Defterleri (Registers of Important Affairs), which contain a copy of all royal decrees and orders, are a very valuable source for the study of these tense and unstable relations from the Ottoman perspective. According to these registers, upon the coming to power of Shah Ismāʿīl II, the Ottoman government publicly upheld and respected the terms of the Amasya Peace Treaty, while secretly looking for a pretext to resume war against Iran. The question is, however, why the Ottomans did not attack Iran immediately after Ismāʿīl II's accession to the throne. Was it due, as some sources claim, to the bravery Shah Ismāʿīl had previously shown in action against the Ottomans? By examining and analyzing the Mühimme Registers of this period, the authors of the present paper demonstrate that the Ottomans had plans to invade Iran and occupy parts of its territory at the beginning of Ismāʿīl II's accession, but their military campaign was thwarted by the lack of opportunities during the short period of the Safavid king's rule.

Livable cities in the global south: Buenos Aires city in the new normal

Purpose Social sciences have discussed the host–guest relation from many theoretical lenses and perspectives. Violence as well as local crime has been studied as one of the major risks concerning tourism security. Anyway, less attention was given to homeless people and their interaction with foreign or local tourists. The purpose of this paper is oriented to explain how globalization has winners and losers, in which case, as noted, thousands of persons are excluded from the formal labor marketplace or the economic system year by year. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that discusses critically not only the recent advances of sociology in urban tourism but also the connection between homeless people and tourists. Findings There is an urban underclass formed by those who have been excluded from the economic system. What is more important, such an underclass situates nearby luxury hotels and tourist destinations creating serious contradictions or zones of disputes. These contradictions have been approached by different sociologists since the turn of the 20th century. Research limitations/implications The question of sustainability, as well as the idea of liveable cities, and the efficient organization of the city, have occupied a central position in the academic debate, above all after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the present paper, the authors put in dialogue the contributions of Marc Auge with Zyggy Bauman toward a new understanding of this postmodern phenomenon. Originality/value Based on the metaphor of vagabonds and tourists, we give a snapshot of the problem of homelessness in Buenos Aires city and its effects on the tourism industry. Unlike other English-speaking countries where the cities are actively organized by the state, Buenos Aires city lacks a planned program to regulate and relocate homeless people. They dwell in nonplaces nearby tourists sleeping in the streets near luxury hotels (but for sure escaping any planning or governmental control).

On the dynamic thermal conductivity and diffusivity observed in heat pulse experiments

Abstract Determining the thermal properties of materials with complex structures is still a major engineering challenge today. The well-known heat pulse experiment can be used to determine the thermal diffusivity by measuring the temperature history as a thermal response for a fast excitation. However, the evaluation of the measurements can be challenging, especially when dealing with non-homogeneous samples. The thermal behavior of such heterogeneous materials may exhibit a response including two-time scales. Therefore, the Fourier equation is not necessarily applicable. The simplest possible alternatives are the 2-temperature models the Guyer–Krumhansl and Jeffreys heat equations. In the present paper, we focus on the interpretation of the Jeffreys heat equation; studying its analytical solution, we present a fitting method for determining the unknown parameters. We also discuss its relation with the other two heat equations, and we offer an interpretation of how to characterize the transient response of heterogeneous materials.

Predicting the propene stereoselectivity on transition metal catalysts: A daunting task for density functional theory.

Thanks to recent developments in hardware and software, quantum chemical methods are increasingly used for interpreting the complex mechanisms underlying polymerization reaction by homogeneous catalysis. Unfortunately, the dimensions of even the smallest realistic models are too large to permit the use of state-of-the-art composite wave function methods. Under these circumstances, density functional theory still offers the best compromise between cost and accuracy. However, comprehensive benchmarks of different functionals are not yet available for this important research field. The main aim of the present paper is to fill this gap by performing an unbiased comparison of several density functionals and continuum solvent models for the stereo-control in the propylene polymerization on prototypical catalysts inducing different reaction mechanisms. While it was not possible to define a unique computational protocol providing the best results in all the situations, the B3PW91 functional in conjunction with D3 empirical dispersions and the solvent model density solvent model performs remarkably well for three out of the four investigated catalysts. Under such circumstances, it is recommended to compare the results delivered by different models when approaching additional classes of catalysts.

The responsibility of corporate actors involved in international crimes through autonomous weapons systems (AWS) before the international criminal court (ICC)

The use of autonomous weapons systems (AWS) has led to several opposing legal opinions regarding their violations of international law. The responsibility of the state, individuals, and corporations as producers, designers, and programmers is all being taken into consideration. If the decision to kill humans without “meaningful human control” is transferred to computers, it would be hard to attribute accountability for the actions of AWS to their corporations. Consequently, this means that corporate actors will enjoy impunity in all cases. The present paper indicates that the most significant problem arising from the use of AWS is the attribution of responsibility for its violation. Corporations are not subject to liability for the legitimate use of weapons under international law. The main problem with corporate responsibility, according to article 25 (4) of the Rome Statute, is that the provision only relates to individual criminal responsibility and that the ICC shall only have jurisdiction over natural persons. Nevertheless, corporations may be held accountable under aspects of international law. The paper proposes a more positive view on artificial intelligence, raising corporations’ accountability in international law by historically linking the judging of business leaders. The article identifies aiding and abetting as well as co-perpetration as the two modes of accountability under international law potentially linked to AWS. The study also explores the main ambiguity in international law relating to corporate aiding and abetting of human rights violations by presenting the confusion on determining the standards of these 2 modes of liability before the ICC and International ad doc Tribunal. Moreover, with the new age of war heavily dependent on AI and AWS, one cannot easily and precisely ascertain who must be held accountable for war crimes because of the unanticipated facts in decision-making combined with the aiding or abetting of violations of international law. International law prioritizes the goal of ending impunity for the individual and largely neglects the need to achieve the same goal for corporate complicity. In sum, progress to regulate the use of AWS by corporate actors could be enormously helpful to the cause of ending impunity.

Novel class of peptides disintegrating biological membranes to aid in the characterization of membrane proteins

Styrene-maleic acid (SMA) and similar amphiphilic copolymers are known to cut biological membranes into lipid nanoparticles/nanodiscs containing membrane proteins apparently in their relatively native membrane lipid environment. Our previous work demonstrated that membrane raft microdomains resist such disintegration by SMA. The use of SMA in studying membrane proteins is limited by its heterogeneity and the inability to prepare defined derivatives. In the present paper, we demonstrate that some amphiphilic peptides structurally mimicking SMA also similarly disintegrate cell membranes. In contrast to the previously used copolymers, the simple peptides are structurally homogeneous. We found that their membrane disintegrating activity increases with their length (reaching optimum at 24 amino acids) and requires a basic primary structure, i.e. (XXD)n, where X represents a hydrophobic amino acid (optimally phenylalanine), D aspartic acid and n is the number of repeats of these triplets. These peptides may provide opportunities for various well-defined potentially useful modifications in the study of membrane protein biochemistry. Our present results confirm a specific character of membrane raft microdomains.

Pseudo-marginal approximation to the free energy in a micro-macro Markov chain Monte Carlo method.

We introduce a generalized micro-macro Markov chain Monte Carlo (mM-MCMC) method with pseudo-marginal approximation to the free energy that is able to accelerate sampling of the microscopic Gibbs distributions when there is a time-scale separation between the macroscopic dynamics of a reaction coordinate and the remaining microscopic degrees of freedom. The mM-MCMC method attains this efficiency by iterating four steps: (i) propose a new value of the reaction coordinate, (ii) accept or reject the macroscopic sample, (iii) run a biased simulation that creates a microscopic molecular instance that lies close to the newly sampled macroscopic reaction coordinate value, and (iv) microscopic accept/reject step for the new microscopic sample. In the present paper, we eliminate the main computational bottleneck of earlier versions of this method: the necessity to have an accurate approximation of free energy. We show that the introduction of a pseudo-marginal approximation significantly reduces the computational cost of the microscopic accept/reject step while still providing unbiased samples. We illustrate the method's behavior on several molecular systems with low-dimensional reaction coordinates.