Designing intrinsically photostable low band gap polymers:a smart tool combining EPR spectroscopy and DFT calculations

A rapid and efficient method to identify the weak points of the complex chemical structure of low band gap (LBG) polymers, designed for efficient solar cells, when submitted to light exposure is reported. This tool combines Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) using the 'spin trapping method' coupled with density functional theory modelling (DFT). First, the nature of the short life-time radicals formed during the early-stages of photo-degradation processes are determined by a spin-trapping technique. Two kinds of short life-time radical (R and R′O) are formed after 'short-duration' illumination in an inert atmosphere and in ambient air, respectively. Second, simulation allows the identification of the chemical structures of these radicals revealing the most probable photochemical process, namely homolytical scission between the Si atom of the conjugated skeleton and its pendent side-chains. Finally, DFT calculations confirm the homolytical cleavage observed by EPR, as well as the presence of a group that is highly susceptible to photooxidative attack. Therefore, the synergetic coupling of a spin trapping method with DFT calculations is shown to be a rapid and efficient method for providing unprecedented information on photochemical mechanisms. This approach will allow the design of LBG polymers without the need to trial the material within actual solar cell devices, an often long and costly screening procedure.

Do intelligent heating controls out-smart ordinary users?

Nearly a third of UK gas and electricity is used in homes, of which 80% is for space heating and hot water provision. Rising consumer bills, concerns about climate change and the surge in personal digital technology use has provoked the development of intelligent domestic heating controls. Whilst the need for having suitable control of the home heating system is essential for reducing domestic energy use, these heating controls rely on appropriate user interaction to achieve a saving and it is unclear whether these ‘smart’ heating controls enhance the use of domestic heating or reduce energy demand. This paper describes qualitative research undertaken with a small sample of UK householders to understand how people use new heating controls installed in their homes and what the requirements are for improved smart heating control design. The paper identifies, against Nielsen’s usability heuristics, the divergence between the householder’s use, understanding and expectations of the heating system and the actual design of the system. Digital and smart heating control systems should be designed to maximise usability so that they can be effectively used for efficient heating control by all users. The research highlights the need for development of new systems to readdress the needs of users and redefine the system requirements.

Matching theory based travel plan aware charging algorithms in V2G smart grid networks

The frequency, time and places of charging have large impact on the Quality of Experience (QoE) of EV drivers. It is critical to design effective EV charging scheduling system to improve the QoE of EV drivers. In order to improve EV charging QoE and utilization of CSs, we develop an innovative travel plan aware charging scheduling scheme for moving EVs to be charged at Charging Stations (CS). In the design of the proposed charging scheduling scheme for moving EVs, the travel routes of EVs and the utility of CSs are taken into consideration. The assignment of EVs to CSs is modeled as a two-sided many-to-one matching game with the objective of maximizing the system utility which reflects the satisfactory degrees of EVs and the profits of CSs. A Stable Matching Algorithm (SMA) is proposed to seek stable matching between charging EVs and CSs. Furthermore, an improved Learning based On-LiNe scheduling Algorithm (LONA) is proposed to be executed by each CS in a distributed manner. The performance gain of the average system utility by the SMA is up to 38.2% comparing to the Random Charging Scheduling (RCS) algorithm, and 4.67% comparing to Only utility of Electric Vehicle Concerned (OEVC) scheme. The effectiveness of the proposed SMA and LONA is also demonstrated by simulations in terms of the satisfactory ratio of charging EVs and the the convergence speed of iteration.

Rescission and substitute property:Bainbridge v Bainbridge [2016] EWHC 898 (Ch)

One of the unresolved issues concerning equity’s jurisdiction to set aside dispositions for mistake is the nature of the proprietary consequences that ensue. The decision in Bainbridge v Bainbridge sheds further light on this important issue, but also illustrates that some important aspects concerning the application of rescission needs further clarification. The key issue concerned the rescission of a trust, where parts of the land had been sold by the trustees who had used the proceeds of sale to buy two new plots of land. Part of the reasoning used by Master Matthews relied upon authorities, developed in the context of fraudulently induced transfers of money, which requires careful consideration of the relationship between the principle in Pitt v Holt and unjust enrichment.

Effectively positioning water loss event in smart water networks

With the eye-catching advances in sensing technologies, smart water networks have been attracting immense research interest in recent years. One of the most overarching tasks in smart water network management is the reduction of water loss (such as leaks and bursts in a pipe network). In this paper, we propose an efficient scheme to position water loss event based on water network topology. The state-of-the-art approach to this problem, however, utilizes the limited topology information of the water network, that is, only one single shortest path between two sensor locations. Consequently, the accuracy of positioning water loss events is still less desirable. To resolve this problem, our scheme consists of two key ingredients: First, we design a novel graph topology-based measure, which can recursively quantify the "average distances" for all pairs of senor locations simultaneously in a water network. This measure will substantially improve the accuracy of our positioning strategy, by capturing the entire water network topology information between every two sensor locations, yet without any sacrifice of computational efficiency. Then, we devise an efficient search algorithm that combines the "average distances" with the difference in the arrival times of the pressure variations detected at sensor locations. The viable experimental evaluations on real-world test bed (WaterWiSe@SG) demonstrate that our proposed positioning scheme can identify water loss event more accurately than the best-known competitor.

Gesture based IoT light control for smart clothing

In this paper, a smart wireless wristband is proposed. The potential of innovative gesture based interactivity with connected lighting solutions is reviewed. The solution is intended to offer numerous benefits, in terms of ease of use, and enhanced dynamic interactive functionality. A comparative analysis will be carried out between this work and existing solutions. The evolution of lighting and gesture controls will be discussed and an overview of alternative applications will be provided, as part of the critical analysis.

Towards a smart semi-active prosthetic leg: preliminary assessment and testing

This paper presents a development of a semi-active prosthetic knee, which can work in both active and passive modes based on the energy required during the gait cycle of various activities of daily livings (ADLs). The prosthetic limb is equipped with various sensors to measure the kinematic and kinetic parameters of both prosthetic limbs. This prosthetic knee is designed to be back-drivable in passive mode to provide a potential use in energy regeneration when there negative energy across the knee joint. Preliminary test has been performed on transfemoral amputee in passive mode to provide some insight to the amputee/prosthesis interaction and performance with the designed prosthetic knee.

Fully smart cities: Analysis of the city to Smart City transformation process

Ever since the birth of the Smart City paradigm, a wide variety of initiatives have sprung up involving this phenomenon: best practices, projects, pilot projects, transformation plans, models, standards, indicators, measuring systems, etc. The question to ask, applicable to any government official, city planner or researcher, is whether this effect is being felt in how cities are transforming, or whether, in contrast, it is not very realistic to speak of cities imbued with this level of intelligence. Many cities are eager to define themselves as smart, but the variety, complexity and scope of the projects needed for this transformation indicate that the change process is longer than it seems. If our goal is to carry out a comparative analysis of this progress among cities by using the number of projects executed and their scope as a reference for the transformation, we could find such a task inconsequential due to the huge differences and characteristics that define a city. We believe that the subject needs simplification (simpler, more practical models) and a new approach. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the smart city transformation process in Spain and provides a support model that helps us understand the changes and the speed at which they are being implemented. To this end we define a set of elements of change called "transformation factors" that group a city's smartness into one of three levels (Low/Medium/Fully) and more homogeneously identify the level of advancement of this process. © 2016 IEEE.

COMP6234 Week 6

Visual perception, information design for the brain, discussion of good and bad visualisations

Monday Morning Eye Opener, November 7, 2016

Weekly Newsletter from the Northwest District Office for libraries containing programs, activities, classes for the upcoming week.

African-Americans in Iowa, February 2016

To recall and celebrate the positive contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week beginning on Feb. 12, 1926. In 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month.

Monday Morning Eye Opener, November 21, 2016

Weekly Newsletter from the Northwest District Office for libraries containing programs, activities, classes for the upcoming week.

Monday Morning Eye Opener, December 5, 2016

Weekly Newsletter from the Northwest District Office for libraries containing programs, activities, classes for the upcoming week.

Monday Morning Eye Opener, December 12, 2016

Weekly Newsletter from the Northwest District Office for libraries containing programs, activities, classes for the upcoming week.

Monday Morning Eye Opener, December 19, 2016

Weekly Newsletter from the Northwest District Office for libraries containing programs, activities, classes for the upcoming week.