Methodology for Dynamic Stability and Robustness Analysis of Commercial-Power-Module-Based DC-Distributed Systems

El propósito de esta tesis es presentar una metodología para realizar análisis de la dinámica en pequeña señal y el comportamiento de sistemas de alimentación distribuidos de corriente continua (CC), formados por módulos comerciales. Para ello se hace uso de un método sencillo que indica los márgenes de estabilidad menos conservadores posibles mediante un solo número. Este índice es calculado en cada una de las interfaces que componen el sistema y puede usarse para obtener un índice global que indica la estabilidad del sistema global. De esta manera se posibilita la comparación de sistemas de alimentación distribuidos en términos de robustez. La interconexión de convertidores CC-CC entre ellos y con los filtros EMI necesarios puede originar interacciones no deseadas que dan lugar a la degradación del comportamiento de los convertidores, haciendo el sistema más propenso a inestabilidades. Esta diferencia en el comportamiento se debe a interacciones entre las impedancias de los diversos elementos del sistema. En la mayoría de los casos, los sistemas de alimentación distribuida están formados por módulos comerciales cuya estructura interna es desconocida. Por ello los análisis presentados en esta tesis se basan en medidas de la respuesta en frecuencia del convertidor que pueden realizarse desde los terminales de entrada y salida del mismo. Utilizando las medidas de las impedancias de entrada y salida de los elementos del sistema, se puede construir una función de sensibilidad que proporciona los márgenes de estabilidad de las diferentes interfaces. En esta tesis se utiliza el concepto del valor máximo de la función de sensibilidad (MPC por sus siglas en inglés) para indicar los márgenes de estabilidad como un único número. Una vez que la estabilidad de todas las interfaces del sistema se han evaluado individualmente, los índices obtenidos pueden combinarse para obtener un único número con el que comparar la estabilidad de diferentes sistemas. Igualmente se han analizado las posibles interacciones en la entrada y la salida de los convertidores CC-CC, obteniéndose expresiones analíticas con las que describir en detalle los acoplamientos generados en el sistema. Los estudios analíticos realizados se han validado experimentalmente a lo largo de la tesis. El análisis presentado en esta tesis se culmina con la obtención de un índice que condensa los márgenes de estabilidad menos conservativos. También se demuestra que la robustez del sistema está asegurada si las impedancias utilizadas en la función de sensibilidad se obtienen justamente en la entrada o la salida del subsistema que está siendo analizado. Por otra parte, la tesis presenta un conjunto de parámetros internos asimilados a impedancias, junto con sus expresiones analíticas, que permiten una explicación detallada de las interacciones en el sistema. Dichas expresiones analíticas pueden obtenerse bien mediante las funciones de transferencia analíticas si se conoce la estructura interna, o utilizando medidas en frecuencia o identificación de las mismas a través de la respuesta temporal del convertidor. De acuerdo a las metodologías presentadas en esta tesis se puede predecir la estabilidad y el comportamiento de sistemas compuestos básicamente por convertidores CC-CC y filtros, cuya estructura interna es desconocida. La predicción se basa en un índice que condensa la información de los márgenes de estabilidad y que permite la obtención de un indicador de la estabilidad global de todo el sistema, permitiendo la comparación de la estabilidad de diferentes arquitecturas de sistemas de alimentación distribuidos. ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is to present dynamic small-signal stability and performance analysis methodology for dc-distributed systems consisting of commercial power modules. Furthermore, the objective is to introduce simple method to state the least conservative margins for robust stability as a single number. In addition, an index characterizing the overall system stability is obtained, based on which different dc-distributed systems can be compared in terms of robustness. The interconnected systems are prone to impedance-based interactions which might lead to transient-performance degradation or even instability. These systems typically are constructed using commercial converters with unknown internal structure. Therefore, the analysis presented throughout this thesis is based on frequency responses measurable from the input and output terminals. The stability margins are stated utilizing a concept of maximum peak criteria, derived from the behavior of impedance-based sensitivity function that provides a single number to state robust stability. Using this concept, the stability information at every system interface is combined to a meaningful number to state the average robustness of the system. In addition, theoretical formulas are extracted to assess source and load side interactions in order to describe detailed couplings within the system. The presented theoretical analysis methodologies are experimentally validated throughout the thesis. In this thesis, according to the presented analysis, the least conservative stability margins are provided as a single number guaranteeing robustness. It is also shown that within the interconnected system the robust stability is ensured only if the impedance-based minor-loop gain is determined at the very input or output of each subsystem. Moreover, a complete set of impedance-type internal parameters as well as the formulas according to which the interaction sensitivity can be fully explained and analyzed, is provided. The given formulation can be utilized equally either based on measured frequency responses, time-domain identified internal parameters or extracted analytic transfer functions. Based on the analysis methodologies presented in this thesis, the stability and performance of interconnected systems consisting of converters with unknown internal structure, can be predicted. Moreover, the provided concept to assess the least conservative stability margins enables to obtain an index to state the overall robust stability of distributed power architecture and thus to compare different systems in terms of stability.

Food market analysis: a case study of the Glocal methodology in the Dominican Republic

The present paper provides an insight into the food value chain of three specific sectors (fruit and vegetables, poultry and rice) in the Dominican Republic. The Glocal methodology used for the study combines a global view with local conditions and thus it can be applied to food markets. Each of these food chains is analyzed by following traditional industrial organization theory, based on structure, conduct and performance. Regarding the specific case of the Dominican Republic, different sources of information are used to analyze the weaknesses of the studied chains, including direct interviews. The food value chains of fruit and vegetables, poultry and rice in the Dominican Republic show a lack of structure and they are undergoing changes; however, they also have great opportunities to improve efficiency by making some changes.

A methodology to estimate uncertainty for emission projections through sensitivity analysis

Air pollution abatement policies must be based on quantitative information on current and future emissions of pollutants. As emission projections uncertainties are inevitable and traditional statistical treatments of uncertainty are highly time/resources consuming, a simplified methodology for nonstatistical uncertainty estimation based on sensitivity analysis is presented in this work. The methodology was applied to the “with measures” scenario for Spain, concretely over the 12 highest emitting sectors regarding greenhouse gas and air pollutants emissions. Examples of methodology application for two important sectors (power plants, and agriculture and livestock) are shown and explained in depth. Uncertainty bands were obtained up to 2020 by modifying the driving factors of the 12 selected sectors and the methodology was tested against a recomputed emission trend in a low economic-growth perspective and official figures for 2010, showing a very good performance. Implications: A solid understanding and quantification of uncertainties related to atmospheric emission inventories and projections provide useful information for policy negotiations. However, as many of those uncertainties are irreducible, there is an interest on how they could be managed in order to derive robust policy conclusions. Taking this into account, a method developed to use sensitivity analysis as a source of information to derive nonstatistical uncertainty bands for emission projections is presented and applied to Spain. This method simplifies uncertainty assessment and allows other countries to take advantage of their sensitivity analyses.

Quality of experience of adaptive video streaming: investigation in service parameters and subjective quality assessment methodology

The usage of HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) has become widely spread in multimedia services. Because it allows the service providers to improve the network resource utilization and user׳s Quality of Experience (QoE). Using this technology, the video playback interruption is reduced since the network and server status in addition to capability of user device, all are taken into account by HAS client to adapt the quality to the current condition. Adaptation can be done using different strategies. In order to provide optimal QoE, the perceptual impact of adaptation strategies from point of view of the user should be studied. However, the time-varying video quality due to the adaptation which usually takes place in a long interval introduces a new type of impairment making the subjective evaluation of adaptive streaming system challenging. The contribution of this paper is two-fold: first, it investigates the testing methodology to evaluate HAS QoE by comparing the subjective experimental outcomes obtained from ACR standardized method and a semi-continuous method developed to evaluate the long sequences. In addition, influence of using audiovisual stimuli to evaluate the video-related impairment is inquired. Second, impact of some of the adaptation technical factors including the quality switching amplitude and chunk size in combination with high range of commercial content type is investigated. The results of this study provide a good insight toward achieving appropriate testing method to evaluate HAS QoE, in addition to designing switching strategies with optimal visual quality.

Location of bioelectricity plants in the Madrid Community based on triticale crop: a multicriteria methodology

This paper presents a work whose objective is, first, to quantify the potential of the triticale biomass existing in each of the agricultural regions in the Madrid Community through a crop simulation model based on regression techniques and multiple correlation. Second, a methodology for defining which area has the best conditions for the installation of electricity plants from biomass has been described and applied. The study used a methodology based on compromise programming in a discrete multicriteria decision method (MDM) context. To make a ranking, the following criteria were taken into account: biomass potential, electric power infrastructure, road networks, protected spaces, and urban nuclei surfaces. The results indicate that, in the case of the Madrid Community, the Campiña region is the most suitable for setting up plants powered by biomass. A minimum of 17,339.9 tons of triticale will be needed to satisfy the requirements of a 2.2 MW power plant. The minimum range of action for obtaining the biomass necessary in Campiña region would be 6.6 km around the municipality of Algete, based on Geographic Information Systems. The total biomass which could be made available in considering this range in this region would be 18,430.68 t.

Methodology for instantaneous average exhaust gas mass flow rate measurement

This paper presents a new methodology for measurement of the instantaneous average exhaust mass flow rate in reciprocating internal combustion engines to be used to determinate real driving emissions on light duty vehicles, as part of a Portable Emission Measurement System (PEMS). Firstly a flow meter, named MIVECO flow meter, was designed based on a Pitot tube adapted to exhaust gases which are characterized by moisture and particle content, rapid changes in flow rate and chemical composition, pulsating and reverse flow at very low engine speed. Then, an off-line methodology was developed to calculate the instantaneous average flow, considering the ?square root error? phenomenon. The paper includes the theoretical fundamentals, the developed flow meter specifications, the calibration tests, the description of the proposed off-line methodology and the results of the validation test carried out in a chassis dynamometer, where the validity of the mass flow meter and the methodology developed are demonstrated.

Protein quantification from complex protein mixtures using a proteomics methodology with single-cell resolution

We have developed an extremely sensitive technique, termed immuno-detection amplified by T7 RNA polymerase (IDAT) that is capable of monitoring proteins, lipids, and metabolites and their modifications at the single-cell level. A double-stranded oligonucleotide containing the T7 promoter is conjugated to an antibody (Ab), and then T7 RNA polymerase is used to amplify RNA from the double-stranded oligonucleotides coupled to the Ab in the Ab-antigen complex. By using this technique, we are able to detect the p185her2/neu receptor from the crude lysate of T6–17 cells at 10−13 dilution, which is 109-fold more sensitive than the conventional ELISA method. Single-chain Fv fragments or complementarity determining region peptides of the Ab also can be substituted for the Ab in IDAT. In a modified protocol, the oligonucleotide has been coupled to an Ab against a common epitope to create a universal detector species. With the linear amplification ability of T7 RNA polymerase, IDAT represents a significant improvement over immuno-PCR in terms of sensitivity and has the potential to provide a robotic platform for proteomics.

Diffractive optics-based heterodyne-detected four-wave mixing signals of protein motion: From “protein quakes” to ligand escape for myoglobin

Ligand transport through myoglobin (Mb) has been observed by using optically heterodyne-detected transient grating spectroscopy. Experimental implementation using diffractive optics has provided unprecedented sensitivity for the study of protein motions by enabling the passive phase locking of the four beams that constitute the experiment, and an unambiguous separation of the Real and Imaginary parts of the signal. Ligand photodissociation of carboxymyoglobin (MbCO) induces a sequence of events involving the relaxation of the protein structure to accommodate ligand escape. These motions show up in the Real part of the signal. The ligand (CO) transport process involves an initial, small amplitude, change in volume, reflecting the transit time of the ligand through the protein, followed by a significantly larger volume change with ligand escape to the surrounding water. The latter process is well described by a single exponential process of 725 ± 15 ns at room temperature. The overall dynamics provide a distinctive signature that can be understood in the context of segmental protein fluctuations that aid ligand escape via a few specific cavities, and they suggest the existence of discrete escape pathways.

Comparison between clinical results of two diffractive multifocal lenses with the same platform but different additions

PURPOSE: To evaluate visual results with two multifocal diffractive lenses designed with the same platform but with different additions. SETTING: Grupo Innova Ocular clinics. METHODS: A total of 50 eyes from 50 patients were included. Group 1 (n = 25) was implanted with the TECNIS® 1 ZLB +3.25 and group 2 (n = 25) with the TECNIS® 1 ZKB +2.75. Patients were assessed at 24 hours, 1 week and 1 month postoperatively. At surgical discharge, corrected (CDVA) and uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCDVA), near visual acuity (VA) at 25, 40 and 80 cm, visual quality and the defocus curve were measured. RESULTS: Changes in sphere and spherical equivalent were statistically significant (p<0.01) in both groups at 1 week and 1 month compared to preoperative values. In group 1, UCDVA logMAR at 1 month was 0.06 ± 0.02. In group 2, UCDVA at 1 month was 0.03 ± 0.03. In near vision, the TECNIS® 1 ZLB group obtained a VA logMAR of 0.35 ± 0.02 at 25 cm, 0.13 ± 0.02 at 40 cm and 0.27 ± 0.02 at 80 cm, while in the TECNIS® 1 ZKB group, the values were 0.38  ± 0.03, 0.14 ± 0.03 and 0.23 ± 0.06, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found either when results for visual quality were compared. CONCLUSION: Both the TECNIS® 1 ZLB and TECNIS® 1 ZKB are excellent options for obtaining good distance and near vision, in addition to providing good intermediate vision, especially at distances such as those required for working with computers.

A methodology for improving computed individual regressions predictions.

This research proposes a methodology to improve computed individual prediction values provided by an existing regression model without having to change either its parameters or its architecture. In other words, we are interested in achieving more accurate results by adjusting the calculated regression prediction values, without modifying or rebuilding the original regression model. Our proposition is to adjust the regression prediction values using individual reliability estimates that indicate if a single regression prediction is likely to produce an error considered critical by the user of the regression. The proposed method was tested in three sets of experiments using three different types of data. The first set of experiments worked with synthetically produced data, the second with cross sectional data from the public data source UCI Machine Learning Repository and the third with time series data from ISO-NE (Independent System Operator in New England). The experiments with synthetic data were performed to verify how the method behaves in controlled situations. In this case, the outcomes of the experiments produced superior results with respect to predictions improvement for artificially produced cleaner datasets with progressive worsening with the addition of increased random elements. The experiments with real data extracted from UCI and ISO-NE were done to investigate the applicability of the methodology in the real world. The proposed method was able to improve regression prediction values by about 95% of the experiments with real data.

Disk halo size measured in individuals with monofocal versus diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses

PURPOSE: To compare disk halo size in response to a glare source in eyes with an aspheric apodized diffractive multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) or aspheric monofocal IOL. SETTING: Rementeria Ophthalmological Clinic, Madrid, Spain. DESIGN: Prospective randomized masked study. METHOD: Halo radius was measured using a vision monitor (MonCv3) with low-luminance optotypes in eyes that had cataract surgery and bilateral implantion of an Acrysof Restor SN6AD1 multifocal IOL or Acrysof IQ monofocal IOL 6 to 9 months previously. The visual angle subtended by the disk halo radius was calculated in minutes of arc (arcmin). Patient complaints of halo disturbances were recorded. Monocular uncorrected distance visual acutity (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) were measured using high-contrast (96%) and low-contrast (10%) logMAR letter charts. RESULTS: The study comprised 39 eyes of 39 subjects (aged 70 to 80 years); 21 eyes had a multifocal IOL and 18 eyes a monofocal IOL. The mean halo radius was 35 arcmin larger in the multifocal IOL group than the monofocal group (P<.05). Greater halo effects were reported in the multifocal IOL group (P<.05). The mean monocular high-contrast UDVA and low-contrast UDVA did not vary significantly between groups, whereas the mean monocular high-contrast CDVA and low-contrast CDVA were significantly worse at 0.12 logMAR and 0.13 logMAR in the multifocal than in the monofocal IOL group, respectively (P <.01). A significant positive correlation was detected by multiple linear regression between the halo radius and low-contrast UDVA in the multifocal IOL group (r = 0.72, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The diffractive multifocal IOL gave rise to a larger disk halo size, which was correlated with a worse low-contrast UDVA.

Hayek and complexity: coordination, evolution and methodology in social adaptive systems

The affinity between the work of the Austrian economist Friedrich A. Hayek and the approach of Complexity Economics is widely recognized by the literature. In spite of this, there still is a lack of studies that seek to analyze in depth the relationship between Hayek and complexity. This dissertation is a contribution to the filling of this large gap in the literature. In the first part of the work, we analyze the various periods in the development of Hayek\'s vision of complexity, showing that this vision is strongly present in his works on knowledge, competition, methodology, evolution, and spontaneous order. In the second part, we explore how Hayek was influenced by two of the main precursors of modern complexity theory - cybernetics and general system theory - from the time he was working on his book on theoretical psychology, The Sensory Order (1952), until the end of his intellectual career.