FISH analysis of biofilm samples from five CANON reactors in Beijing

Completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) has been regarded as an efficient and economical process for nitrogen removal from wastewater. The distribution and genetic diversity of the functional microorganisms in five lab-scale CANON reactors have been investigated by using some molecular biology methods. Nitrosomonas-like aerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AerAOB) and Candidatus Brocadia-related anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) were detected as predominant functional microbes in the five reactors while Nitrobacter-like nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) existed only in the systems operated at ambient temperature. Communities of AerAOB and AnAOB were almost similar among the five reactors while the distribution of the functional microbes was either scattered or densely packed. Meanwhile, this study has demonstrated the feasibility of starting up CANON by inoculating conventional activated sludge in low ammonium content at ambient temperature.

Bacterial production in the eastern Mediteranean Sea in August and September 2008 during SES_GR2

The SES_GR2_MICROBIAL PARAMETERS dataset is based on samples collected in the framework of the project SESAME, in the Ionian, Libyan and Aegean Sea during August-September 2008. The objectives were to measure the standing stocks and calculate the production of the microbial compartment of the food web, describe the vertical distribution pattern and characterize its structure and function through the water column. Bacterial production was estimated by the 3H-leucine method (Kirchman et al. 1986, Kirchman 1993). At each depth, duplicate samples and a control were incubated with 20 nM L-[4,5 3H]-leucine. Samples were incubated in the dark, at in situ temperature.

Texture description and distribution of components in ODP Hole 103-639D (Figure 2)

A detailed analysis of the texture, matrix, and elements of the microfacies from the carbonate sequence recovered in ODP Hole 639D resulted in a typological classification of 10 major microfacies types and their variants. The variations in distribution and succession of type microfacies allowed us to divide the carbonate sequence into 12 facies-defined subunits. Based on the analyzed characteristics and their relations, we also propose a paleoenvironmental interpretation involving a mixed carbonate/terrigenous ramp model instead of the previous, classical zoned carbonate platform.

Bacterial production in the Aegean Sea in April 2008 during SES_GR1

The HCMR_SES_LAGRANGIAN_GR1_ MICROBIAL PARAMETERS dataset is based on samples collected in the framework of the project SESAME, in the North Aegean Sea during April 2008. The objectives were to measure the standing stocks and calculate the production of the microbial compartment of the food web, describe the vertical distribution pattern and characterize its structure and function through the water column as influenced by the BSW. Bacterial production was estimated by the 3H-leucine method (Kirchman et al. 1986, Kirchman 1993). At each depth, duplicate samples and a control were incubated with 20 nM L-[4,5 3H]-leucine. Samples were incubated in the dark, at in situ temperature.

Diagnosing Causes of Water Scarcity in Complex Water Resources Systems and Identifying Risk Management Actions

From the water management perspective, water scarcity is an unacceptable risk of facing water shortages to serve water demands in the near future. Water scarcity may be temporary and related to drought conditions or other accidental situation, or may be permanent and due to deeper causes such as excessive demand growth, lack of infrastructure for water storage or transport, or constraints in water management. Diagnosing the causes of water scarcity in complex water resources systems is a precondition to adopt effective drought risk management actions. In this paper we present four indices which have been developed to evaluate water scarcity. We propose a methodology for interpretation of index values that can lead to conclusions about the reliability and vulnerability of systems to water scarcity, as well as to diagnose their possible causes and to propose solutions. The described methodology was applied to the Ebro river basin, identifying existing and expected problems and possible solutions. System diagnostics, based exclusively on the analysis of index values, were compared with the known reality as perceived by system managers, validating the conclusions in all cases

A new generation of real-time systems in the JET tokamak

Recently a new recipe for developing and deploying real-time systems has become increasingly adopted in the JET tokamak. Powered by the advent of x86 multi-core technology and the reliability of the JET’s well established Real-Time Data Network (RTDN) to handle all real-time I/O, an official Linux vanilla kernel has been demonstrated to be able to provide realtime performance to user-space applications that are required to meet stringent timing constraints. In particular, a careful rearrangement of the Interrupt ReQuests’ (IRQs) affinities together with the kernel’s CPU isolation mechanism allows to obtain either soft or hard real-time behavior depending on the synchronization mechanism adopted. Finally, the Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor (MARTe) framework is used for building applications particularly optimised for exploring multicore architectures. In the past year, four new systems based on this philosophy have been installed and are now part of the JET’s routine operation. The focus of the present work is on the configuration and interconnection of the ingredients that enable these new systems’ real-time capability and on the impact that JET’s distributed real-time architecture has on system engineering requirements, such as algorithm testing and plant commissioning. Details are given about the common real-time configuration and development path of these systems, followed by a brief description of each system together with results regarding their real-time performance. A cycle time jitter analysis of a user-space MARTe based application synchronising over a network is also presented. The goal is to compare its deterministic performance while running on a vanilla and on a Messaging Real time Grid (MRG) Linux kernel.

Desensitization of the Neurokinin-1 Receptor (NK1-R) in Neurons: Effects of Substance P on the Distribution of NK1-R, Gαq/11, G-Protein Receptor Kinase-2/3, and β-Arrestin-1/2

Observations in reconstituted systems and transfected cells indicate that G-protein receptor kinases (GRKs) and β-arrestins mediate desensitization and endocytosis of G-protein–coupled receptors. Little is known about receptor regulation in neurons. Therefore, we examined the effects of the neurotransmitter substance P (SP) on desensitization of the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1-R) and on the subcellular distribution of NK1-R, Gαq/11, GRK-2 and -3, and β-arrestin-1 and -2 in cultured myenteric neurons. NK1-R was coexpressed with immunoreactive Gαq/11, GRK-2 and -3, and β-arrestin-1 and -2 in a subpopulation of neurons. SP caused 1) rapid NK1-R–mediated increase in [Ca2+]i, which was transient and desensitized to repeated stimulation; 2) internalization of the NK1-R into early endosomes containing SP; and 3) rapid and transient redistribution of β-arrestin-1 and -2 from the cytosol to the plasma membrane, followed by a striking redistribution of β-arrestin-1 and -2 to endosomes containing the NK1-R and SP. In SP-treated neurons Gαq/11 remained at the plasma membrane, and GRK-2 and -3 remained in centrally located and superficial vesicles. Thus, SP induces desensitization and endocytosis of the NK1-R in neurons that may be mediated by GRK-2 and -3 and β-arrestin-1 and -2. This regulation will determine whether NK1-R–expressing neurons participate in functionally important reflexes.

Statistical mechanics of distribution networks

This thesis presents an analysis of the stability of complex distribution networks. We present a stability analysis against cascading failures. We propose a spin [binary] model, based on concepts of statistical mechanics. We test macroscopic properties of distribution networks with respect to various topological structures and distributions of microparameters. The equilibrium properties of the systems are obtained in a statistical mechanics framework by application of the replica method. We demonstrate the validity of our approach by comparing it with Monte Carlo simulations. We analyse the network properties in terms of phase diagrams and found both qualitative and quantitative dependence of the network properties on the network structure and macroparameters. The structure of the phase diagrams points at the existence of phase transition and the presence of stable and metastable states in the system. We also present an analysis of robustness against overloading in the distribution networks. We propose a model that describes a distribution process in a network. The model incorporates the currents between any connected hubs in the network, local constraints in the form of Kirchoff's law and a global optimizational criterion. The flow of currents in the system is driven by the consumption. We study two principal types of model: infinite and finite link capacity. The key properties are the distributions of currents in the system. We again use a statistical mechanics framework to describe the currents in the system in terms of macroscopic parameters. In order to obtain observable properties we apply the replica method. We are able to assess the criticality of the level of demand with respect to the available resources and the architecture of the network. Furthermore, the parts of the system, where critical currents may emerge, can be identified. This, in turn, provides us with the characteristic description of the spread of the overloading in the systems.

Integrated manufacturing systems design in a multi-product company

Using a hydraulic equipment manufacturing plant as the case study, this work explores the problems of systems integration in manufacturing systems design, stressing the behavioural aspects of motivation and participation, and the constraints involved in the proper consideration of the human sub-system. The need for a simple manageable modular organisation structure is illustrated, where it is shown, by reference to systems theory, how a business can be split into semi-autonomous operating units. The theme is the development of a manufacturing system based on an analysis of the business, its market, product, technology and constraints, coupled with a critical survey of modern management literature to develop an integrated systems design to suit a specific company in the current social environment. Society currently moves through a socio-technical revolution with man seeking higher levels of motivation. The transitory environment from an autocratic/paternalistic to a participative operating mode demands systems parameters only found to a limited extent in manufacturing systems today. It is claimed, that modern manufacturing systems design needs to be based on group working, job enrichment, delegation of decision making and reduced job monotony. The analysis shows how negative aspects of cellular manufacture such as lack of flexibility and poor fixed asset utilisation are relatively irrelevant and misleading in the broader context of the need to come to terms with the social stresses imposed on a company operating in the industrial environment of the present and the immediate future.

Distances between Predicates in By-Analogy Reasoning Systems

The purpose is to develop expert systems where by-analogy reasoning is used. Knowledge “closeness” problems are known to frequently emerge in such systems if knowledge is represented by different production rules. To determine a degree of closeness for production rules a distance between predicates is introduced. Different types of distances between two predicate value distribution functions are considered when predicates are “true”. Asymptotic features and interrelations of distances are studied. Predicate value distribution functions are found by empirical distribution functions, and a procedure is proposed for this purpose. An adequacy of obtained distribution functions is tested on the basis of the statistical 2 χ –criterion and a testing mechanism is discussed. A theorem, by which a simple procedure of measurement of Euclidean distances between distribution function parameters is substituted for a predicate closeness determination one, is proved for parametric distribution function families. The proposed distance measurement apparatus may be applied in expert systems when reasoning is created by analogy.

Discrete-time positive periodic systems with state and control constraints

The aim of this paper is to provide an efficient control design technique for discrete-time positive periodic systems. In particular, stability, positivity and periodic invariance of such systems are studied. Moreover, the concept of periodic invariance with respect to a collection of boxes is introduced and investigated with connection to stability. It is shown how such concept can be used for deriving a stabilizing state-feedback control that maintains the positivity of the closed-loop system and respects states and control signals constraints. In addition, all the proposed results can be efficiently solved in terms of linear programming.

Strategic tillage in no-till farming systems in Australia's northern grains-growing regions: I. Drivers and implementation

Development of no-tillage (NT) farming has revolutionized agricultural systems by allowing growers to manage greater areas of land with reduced energy, labour and machinery inputs to control erosion, improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emission. However, NT farming systems have resulted in a build-up of herbicide-resistant weeds, an increased incidence of soil- and stubble-borne diseases and enrichment of nutrients and carbon near the soil surface. Consequently, there is an increased interest in the use of an occasional tillage (termed strategic tillage, ST) to address such emerging constraints in otherwise-NT farming systems. Decisions around ST uses will depend upon the specific issues present on the individual field or farm, and profitability and effectiveness of available options for management. This paper explores some of the issues with the implementation of ST in NT farming systems. The impact of contrasting soil properties, the timing of the tillage and the prevailing climate exert a strong influence on the success of ST. Decisions around timing of tillage are very complex and depend on the interactions between soil water content and the purpose for which the ST is intended. The soil needs to be at the right water content before executing any tillage, while the objective of the ST will influence the frequency and type of tillage implement used. The use of ST in long-term NT systems will depend on factors associated with system costs and profitability, soil health and environmental impacts. For many farmers maintaining farm profitability is a priority, so economic considerations are likely to be a primary factor dictating adoption. However, impacts on soil health and environment, especially the risk of erosion and the loss of soil carbon, will also influence a grower's choice to adopt ST, as will the impact on soil moisture reserves in rainfed cropping systems. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

Energy Cooperation in Energy Harvesting Communication Systems

In energy harvesting communications, users transmit messages using energy harvested from nature. In such systems, transmission policies of the users need to be carefully designed according to the energy arrival profiles. When the energy management policies are optimized, the resulting performance of the system depends only on the energy arrival profiles. In this dissertation, we introduce and analyze the notion of energy cooperation in energy harvesting communications where users can share a portion of their harvested energy with the other users via wireless energy transfer. This energy cooperation enables us to control and optimize the energy arrivals at users to the extent possible. In the classical setting of cooperation, users help each other in the transmission of their data by exploiting the broadcast nature of wireless communications and the resulting overheard information. In contrast to the usual notion of cooperation, which is at the signal level, energy cooperation we introduce here is at the battery energy level. In a multi-user setting, energy may be abundant in one user in which case the loss incurred by transferring it to another user may be less than the gain it yields for the other user. It is this cooperation that we explore in this dissertation for several multi-user scenarios, where energy can be transferred from one user to another through a separate wireless energy transfer unit. We first consider the offline optimal energy management problem for several basic multi-user network structures with energy harvesting transmitters and one-way wireless energy transfer. In energy harvesting transmitters, energy arrivals in time impose energy causality constraints on the transmission policies of the users. In the presence of wireless energy transfer, energy causality constraints take a new form: energy can flow in time from the past to the future for each user, and from one user to the other at each time. This requires a careful joint management of energy flow in two separate dimensions, and different management policies are required depending on how users share the common wireless medium and interact over it. In this context, we analyze several basic multi-user energy harvesting network structures with wireless energy transfer. To capture the main trade-offs and insights that arise due to wireless energy transfer, we focus our attention on simple two- and three-user communication systems, such as the relay channel, multiple access channel and the two-way channel. Next, we focus on the delay minimization problem for networks. We consider a general network topology of energy harvesting and energy cooperating nodes. Each node harvests energy from nature and all nodes may share a portion of their harvested energies with neighboring nodes through energy cooperation. We consider the joint data routing and capacity assignment problem for this setting under fixed data and energy routing topologies. We determine the joint routing of energy and data in a general multi-user scenario with data and energy transfer. Next, we consider the cooperative energy harvesting diamond channel, where the source and two relays harvest energy from nature and the physical layer is modeled as a concatenation of a broadcast and a multiple access channel. Since the broadcast channel is degraded, one of the relays has the message of the other relay. Therefore, the multiple access channel is an extended multiple access channel with common data. We determine the optimum power and rate allocation policies of the users in order to maximize the end-to-end throughput of this system. Finally, we consider the two-user cooperative multiple access channel with energy harvesting users. The users cooperate at the physical layer (data cooperation) by establishing common messages through overheard signals and then cooperatively sending them. For this channel model, we investigate the effect of intermittent data arrivals to the users. We find the optimal offline transmit power and rate allocation policy that maximize the departure region. When the users can further cooperate at the battery level (energy cooperation), we find the jointly optimal offline transmit power and rate allocation policy together with the energy transfer policy that maximize the departure region.

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN VULNERABLE CROP AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN MGETA, TANZANIA

Increased occurrence of drought and dry spells during the growing season have resulted in increased interest in protection of tropical water catchment areas. In Mgeta, a water catchment area in the Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania, water used for vegetable and fruit production is provided through canals from the Uluguru South Forest Reserve. The clearing of forest land for cultivation in the steep slopes in the area is causing severe land degradation, which is threatening the water catchment area, livelihoods, and food security of the local communities, as well as the major population centers in the lowlands. In this paper, the economic performance of a traditional cropping-livestock system with East African (EA)-goats and pigs and extensive vegetable production is compared with a more sustainable and environmentally friendly crop-dairy goat production system. A linear programming (LP) crop-livestock model, maximizing farm income considering the environmental constraints in the area was applied for studying the economic performance of dairy goats in the production system. The model was worked out for the rainy and dry seasons and the analysis was conducted for a basic scenario representing the current situation, based on the variability in the 30 years period from 1982-2012, and in a scenario of both lower crop yields and increased crop variability due to climate change. Data obtained from a sample of 60 farmers that were interviewed using a questionnaire was used to develop and parameterize the model. The study found that in the steep slopes of the area, a crop-dairy goat system with extensive use of grass and multipurpose trees (MPTs) would do better than the traditional vegetable gardening with the EA goat production system. The crop-dairy goat system was superior both in the basic and in a climate change scenario since the yield variation of the grass and MPTs system was less affected compared to vegetable crops due to more tree cover and the use of perennial grasses. However, the goat milk production in the area was constrained by inadequate feeding and lack of an appropriate breeding program. Hence, farmers should enhance goat milk production by supplementing with more concentrate feed and by implementing goat-breeding principles. Moreover, policy measures to promote such a development are briefly discussed.

A NEW DC UPS FOR DC POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IN DATA CENTER

In recent years, the 380V DC and 48V DC distribution systems have been extensively studied for the latest data centers. It is widely believed that the 380V DC system is a very promising candidate because of its lower cable cost compared to the 48V DC system. However, previous studies have not adequately addressed the low reliability issue with the 380V DC systems due to large amount of series connected batteries. In this thesis, a quantitative comparison for the two systems has been presented in terms of efficiency, reliability and cost. A new multi-port DC UPS with both high voltage output and low voltage output is proposed. When utility ac is available, it delivers power to the load through its high voltage output and charges the battery through its low voltage output. When utility ac is off, it boosts the low battery voltage and delivers power to the load form the battery. Thus, the advantages of both systems are combined and the disadvantages of them are avoided. High efficiency is also achieved as only one converter is working in either situation. Details about the design and analysis of the new UPS are presented. For the main AC-DC part of the new UPS, a novel bridgeless three-level single-stage AC-DC converter is proposed. It eliminates the auxiliary circuit for balancing the capacitor voltages and the two bridge rectifier diodes in previous topology. Zero voltage switching, high power factor, and low component stresses are achieved with this topology. Compared to previous topologies, the proposed converter has a lower cost, higher reliability, and higher efficiency. The steady state operation of the converter is analyzed and a decoupled model is proposed for the converter. For the battery side converter as a part of the new UPS, a ZVS bidirectional DC-DC converter based on self-sustained oscillation control is proposed. Frequency control is used to ensure the ZVS operation of all four switches and phase shift control is employed to regulate the converter output power. Detailed analysis of the steady state operation and design of the converter are presented. Theoretical, simulation, and experimental results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed concepts.