Search Results (82)

Accurate and reliable fault detection in photovoltaic (PV) systems is essential for optimizing their performance and durability. This paper introduces a novel approach for fault detection and diagnosis in large-scale PV systems, utilizing power loss analysis and predictive models based on Random Forest (RF) and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) algorithms. The proposed methodology establishes a predictive baseline model of the system’s healthy behavior under normal operating conditions, enabling real-time detection of deviations between expected and actual performance. Faults such as string disconnections, module short-circuits, and shading effects have been identified using two key indicators: current error (Ec) and voltage error (Ev). By focusing on power losses as a fault indicator, this method provides high-accuracy fault detection without requiring extensive labeled data, a significant advantage for large-scale PV systems where data acquisition can be challenging. Additionally, a key contribution of this work is the identification and correction of faulty sensors, specifically pyranometer misalignment, which leads to inaccurate irradiation measurements and disrupts fault diagnosis. The approach ensures reliable input data for the predictive models, where RF achieved an R² of 0.99657 for current prediction and 0.99459 for power prediction, while KNN reached an R² of 0.99674 for voltage estimation, improving both the accuracy of fault detection and the system’s overall performance. The outlined approach was experimentally validated using real-world data from a 500 kWp grid-connected PV system in Ain El Melh, Algeria. The results demonstrate that this innovative method offers an efficient, scalable solution for real-time fault detection, enhancing the reliability of large PV systems while reducing maintenance costs. Full article

The control of bacterial plant diseases is very challenging and often relies on the application of copper compounds, although the frequent emergence and spread of resistant bacterial strains compromise their efficacy. Additionally, copper-based compounds raise environmental and human health concerns, leading to their inclusion in the European Commission’s list of candidates for substitution. As a promising and sustainable alternative, we investigated the efficacy of biogenic zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in protecting tomato plants against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst), the causal agent of bacterial speck disease. ZnO-NPs exhibited significant in vitro antibacterial activity (EC₉₅ = 17.0 ± 1.1 ppm) against the pathogen. Furthermore, when applied to the foliage of tomato plants at 100 ppm before or following Pst inoculation, they induced significant reductions in symptom severity and bacterial growth in planta, which were comparable to those shown by plants treated with acibenzolar-S-methyl, a plant defense inducer. Gene expression assessed by qPCR revealed the involvement of the systemic acquired resistance (SAR) pathway in tomato plants treated with ZnO-NPs before inoculation, suggesting that the observed protection could be due to a priming effect. Finally, infected plants showed oxidative stress, with higher H₂O₂ and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. ZnO-NPs reverted this effect, containing the content of the above molecules, and stimulated the production of metabolites involved in dealing with oxidative perturbations (carotenoids and phenols), while unaffecting flavonoids and anthocyanins. Full article

The Baltic countries are exploring diverse ways to achieve renewable energy objectives, with a particular emphasis on utilizing photovoltaic (PV) technologies in urban areas. Despite the northerly geographical location, PV energy has proven effective, particularly in individual households under the net metering scheme. Energy communities (EC) in urban areas have the potential to support sustainable energy transition by promoting local generation and increasing resilience. However, the broader adoption of rooftop PV systems faces numerous challenges, including technical limitations and legislative gaps. This study examines challenges encountered by community energy projects in residential apartments through a case study in the Latvian context. The paper provides a comparative analysis of PV community implementation scenarios across the three types of typical apartment buildings. The study demonstrates a number of fundamental obstacles that hamper the development of ECs in apartment buildings. The results indicate that the economic benefits of ECs largely depend on electricity market price, and that selection of optimal community design is the key aspect for minimizing investment risks amid market and legislative uncertainty. Results indicate that individual households may have limited motivation to form ECs under current policies. Finally, the insights provided help shape suggestions for future research. Full article

This study reports on the development and validation of a video-based instrument to assess early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ professional vision (PV) of language-stimulation (LS) interactions. PV refers to noticing and reasoning about key classroom interactions, a skill that can be trained and distinguishes experts from novices. The instrument targets the PV of three language-stimulation (LS) strategies: language input (LI), opportunities for language production (OLP), and feedback (FB). The instrument measures noticing through comparative judgement (CJ) and reasoning through multiple-choice items. Construct validity was assessed using the AERA framework, using three samples: a sample of professionals (n = 22), a pre-service teachers’ sample (n = 107), and a mixed sample with in- and pre-service teachers (n = 6). Reliability and validity were confirmed, with strong reliability scores for the CJ aggregated “master” rank orders (SRR: 0.827–0.866). Think-aloud procedures demonstrated that respondents’ decisions during CJ were mainly based on LS-relevant video features. Decisions unrelated to LS require further study. Multiple-choice reasoning items were developed from professionals’ open-ended feedback. Pre-service teacher reasoning scores showed no significant predictors. Using real classroom videos, this instrument provides an ecologically valid, scalable tool for assessing teachers’ professional vision of LS interactions. This validated instrument offers a foundation for professional development programs aimed at addressing the theory–practice gap in early language education. Full article

Energy communities (ECs) have emerged across the EU, with the Clean Energy Package providing the legal foundation for the establishment of energy communities. The actual transposition is up to the member states, leading to heterogeneous regulatory approaches. The national frameworks often provide financial support mechanisms like local grid tariffs, along with regulatory limitations on size and membership, which significantly influence the business case for ECs. This paper analyzes the economic feasibility of ECs under different national frameworks in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Austria. Two scenarios were evaluated by means of a case study, consisting of households and two public entities. The first scenario compares national incentives under uniform conditions, while the second considers country-specific factors like PV irradiation and electricity costs. Results show that energy communities can only partially decouple electricity prices from market dynamics. The study concludes that financial incentives lead to adequate financial savings for the members in most countries; however, the level of incentive does not necessarily relate to the number of established energy communities. Electricity grid benefits could be created by promoting demand response measures in the EC. Full article

Solar hydrogen production is a promising pathway for sustainable CO₂-free hydrogen production. It is mainly classified into three systems: photovoltaic electrolysis (PV-EC), photoelectrochemical (PEC) system, and particulate photocatalytic (PC) system. However, it still has trouble in commercialization due to the limitation of performance and economic feasibility in the large-scale system. In this review, the challenges of each large-scale system are, respectively, summarized. Based on this summary, recent approaches to solving these challenges are introduced, focusing on core components, fabrication processes, and systematic designs. In addition, several demonstrations of large-scale systems under outdoor conditions and performances of upscaled systems are introduced to understand the current technical level of solar-driven hydrogen production systems for commercialization. Finally, the future outlooks and perspectives on the practical application of large-scale solar-driven hydrogen production are discussed. Full article

Pests and diseases have caused significant problems since the domestication of crops, resulting in economic loss and hunger. To overcome these problems, synthetic pesticides were developed to control pests; however, there are significant detrimental side effects of synthetic pesticides on the environment and human health. There is an urgent need to develop safer and more sustainable pesticides. Industrial hemp is a reservoir of compounds that could potentially replace some synthetic bactericides, fungicides, and insecticides. We determined the efficacy of industrial hemp extracts against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci (PSTA), Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (PSTO), and Erwinia carotovora (EC). The study revealed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.05 mg/mL and a non-inhibitory concentration (NIC) of 1.2 mg/mL for PSTA, an MIC of 5.7 mg/mL and NIC of 0.66 mg/mL for PSTO, and an MIC of 12.04 mg/mL and NIC of 5.4 mg/mL for EC. Time-kill assays indicated the regrowth of E. carotovora at 4 × MIC after 15 h and P. syringae pv. tomato at 2 × MIC after 20 h; however, P. syringae pv. tabaci had no regrowth. The susceptibility of test bacteria to hemp extract can be ordered from the most susceptible to the least susceptible, as follows: P. syringae pv. tabaci > P. syringae pv. tomato > E. carotovora. Overall, the data indicate hemp extract is a potential source of sustainable and safe biopesticides against these major plant pathogens. Full article

Energy Communities (ECs) are aggregations of users that cooperate to achieve economic benefits by sharing energy instead of operating individually in the so-called “disagreement” case. As there is no unique notion of fairness for the cost/profit allocation of ECs, this paper aims to identify an allocation method that allows for an appropriate weighting of both the interests of an EC as a whole and those of all its members. The novelty is in comparing different optimization approaches and cooperative allocation criteria, satisfying different notions of fairness, to assess which one may be best suited for an EC. Thus, a cooperative model is used to optimize the operation of an EC that includes two consumers and two solar PV prosumers. The model is solved by the “Social Welfare” approach to maximizing the total “incremental” economic benefit (i.e., cost saving and/or profit increase) and by the “Nash Bargaining” approach to simultaneously maximize the total and individual incremental economic benefits, with respect to the “disagreement” case. Since the “Social Welfare” approach could lead to an unbalanced benefit distribution, the Shapley value and Nucleolus criteria are applied to re-distribute the total incremental economic benefit, leading to higher annual cost savings for consumers with lower electricity demand. Compared to “Social Welfare” without re-distribution, the Nash Bargaining distributes 39–49% and 9–17% higher annual cost savings to consumers with lower demand and to prosumers promoting the energy sharing within the EC, respectively. However, total annual cost savings drop by a maximum of 5.5%, which is the “Price of Fairness”. Full article

Bacterial virulence plays an important role in infection. Antibacterial virulence factors are effective for preventing crop bacterial diseases. Resin acid copper salt as an effective inhibitor exhibited excellent anti-Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) activity with an EC₅₀ of 50.0 μg mL⁻¹. Resin acid copper salt (RACS) can reduce extracellular polysaccharides’ (EPS’s) biosynthesis by down-regulating gumB relative expression. RACS can also effectively inhibit the bio-mass of Xoo biofilm. It can reduce the activity of Xoo extracellular amylase at a concentration of 100 μg mL⁻¹. Meanwhile, the results of virtual computing suggested that RACS is an enzyme inhibitor. RACS displayed good curative activity with a control effect of 38.5%. Furthermore, the result of the phytotoxicity assessment revealed that RACS exhibited slight toxicity compared with the control at a concentration of 200 μg mL⁻¹. The curative effect was increased to 45.0% using an additional antimicrobial agent like orange peel essential oil. RACS markedly inhibited bacterial pathogenicity at a concentration of 100 μg mL⁻¹ in vivo. Full article

Equus caballus papillomavirus 2 (EcPV2) is known to cause genital neoplasms in horses. However, reports on EcPV2 in Japan and Asia are limited. Herein, we present the histopathological and virological findings of the first reported case of an EcPV2-associated penile mass in Japan. The patient was a 22-year-old stallion with a history of breeding in Japan and abroad. Histopathological examination contained RNA in situ hybridization targeting the E6/E7 region and an immunohistochemical approach, and whole-genome sequencing was conducted within the viral examination. Proliferating epidermal cells were observed, and EcPV2 E6/E7 mRNA was detected within the epidermis, which was interpreted as viral papilloma. The detected EcPV2 virus was genetically close to foreign strains and different from the strain previously reported from a Japanese mare. This suggests that various types of EcPV2 might already exist among horses in Japan. Although the mass reported herein was not malignant based on histopathological findings and the absence of recurrence, its presence on the penis would be an obstacle to breeding. These results provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis and diversity of EcPV2. Full article

The combined approaches between ex situ and in situ conservation are of great importance for threatened species in urgent need of protection. This study aims to develop concrete actions to preserve the relic of 30 adult trees of the Sicilian fir (Abies nebrodensis) from extinction using long-term germplasm conservation in liquid nitrogen (LN, −196 °C). Pollen grains were collected, and their moisture content (MC) was measured. Then, viability (2,3,5-tryphenyl tetrazolium chloride, TTC), in vitro germinability, and enzymatic antioxidant activity (ascorbate peroxidase, APX; catalase, CAT) were evaluated before and after cryopreservation. Seeds collected from mature cones underwent X-ray analysis, and only full seeds were used to excise the zygotic embryos (ZEs) for cryopreservation. The MC percentage of ZEs was determined, and then they were plunged in LN with (+PVS2) or without (−PVS2) Plant Vitrification Solution 2; untreated ZEs were used as a control. Viability (TTC test) and in vitro germination were assessed for all ZEs (+PVS2, −PVS2, and control). Embryogenic callus (EC) lines obtained from mature ZEs were cryopreserved applying the ‘encapsulation-dehydration’ technique. This study has allowed, after optimizing cryopreservation protocols for pollen, ZEs, and EC of A. nebrodensis, to establish the first cryobank of this endangered species in Polizzi Generosa (Palermo, Italy), inside the ‘Madonie Regional Park’. The strategy developed for Sicilian fir conservation will pave the way for similar initiatives for other critically endangered conifer species. Full article

SYAUP-491 is a novel alkyl sulfonamide. In this study, in vivo and in vitro tests were performed along with a proteomic analysis to determine the effects and underlying mechanisms of the antibacterial activity of SYAUP-491 against the causative agent of bacterial leaf blight in rice. The antibacterial test results suggested that SYAUP-491 exhibited significant activities against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) in vitro and in vivo. The minimal EC₅₀ values reached 6.96 μg/mL and the curative activity reached 74.1%. Detailed studies demonstrated that SYAUP-491 altered membrane permeability and caused morphological changes. Based on proteomics results, SYAUP-491 might inhibit bacterial protein synthesis. SYAUP-491 may disrupt and alter cell membrane permeability and could further act on ribosomes in the bacterial body. Given the above results, SYAUP-491 could serve as a new lead compound in the research of antibacterial control of plant pathogenic bacterial disease. Full article

Implementing net-zero carbon design is a crucial step towards decarbonizing the built environment during the entire life cycle of a building, encompassing both embodied and operational carbon. This paper presents a novel computational approach to designing life cycle zero-carbon buildings (LC-ZCBs), utilizing parametric integrated modeling through the versatile Grasshopper platform. A residential building located at the New York Institute of Technology, optimized to fulfill the LC-ZCB target, serves as a case study for this comprehensive study. Four main influencing design parameters are defined, and three hundred design combinations are evaluated through the assessment of operational carbon (OC) and embodied carbon (EC). By incorporating biobased materials in the design options (BIO) as a replacement for conventional insulation (OPT), the influence of biogenic carbon is addressed by utilizing the GWPbio dynamic method. While both OPT and BIO registered similar OC, with values ranging below 0.7 kg CO₂eq/m²a, the EC is largely different, with negative values ranging between −0.64 and −0.54 kg CO₂eq/m²a only for BIO alternatives, while the OPT ones achieved positive values (2.25–2.45 kg CO₂eq/m²a). Finally, to account for potential climate changes, future climate data, and 2099 weather conditions are considered during the scenario assessments. The results show that OC tends to slightly decrease due to the increasing productivity of PV panels. Thus, the life cycle emissions for all OPT alternatives decrease, moving from 2.4–3.0 kg CO₂eq/m²a to 2.2–2.4, but none of them achieve the LC-ZCB target, while BIO alternatives are able to achieve the target with negative values between −0.15 and −0.60 kg CO₂eq/m²a. There is potential for achieving LC-ZCBs when fast-growing biobased materials are largely used as construction materials, fostering a more environmentally responsible future for the construction industry. Full article

In Singapore’s limited land space, hydroponics, a soil-free method of that uses irrigation gained popularity for urban farming. Vertical farming can be made more sustainable by integrating Internet-of-Things (IoT) and solar photovoltaic (PV) as an intelligent system. This study aims to conduct a feasibility study on using PV cells to reduce energy consumption in IoT-enabled irrigation control and monitoring systems. In the experiment, an intelligent water irrigation system was designed for data collection including energy harvested from PV, climate conditions, and water quality. It was observed that a 45 Watt peak (Wp) solar PV was able to produce up to 460-watt hours of stored electricity in a day which can power a standalone hydroponic system that consists of a 19 W water pump and light emitting diode (LED) grow lights rated at 14 W/m. The climate monitoring system matched meteorological data from online sources proving to be applicable in the prototype. Water conditions such as water temperature and electrical conductivity (EC) also correlate to readings taken from traditional handheld water quality testers. Based on the fabricated prototype, integration is deemed to be feasible using power harvested from the sun. Full article

To effectively control the infection of plant pathogens, we designed and synthesized a series of phenylthiazole derivatives containing a 1,3,4-thiadiazole thione moiety and screened for their antibacterial potencies against Ralstonia solanacearum, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, as well as their antifungal potencies against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, Magnaporthe oryzae and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The chemical structures of the target compounds were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and HRMS. The bioassay results revealed that all the tested compounds exhibited moderate-to-excellent antibacterial and antifungal activities against six plant pathogens. Especially, compound 5k possessed the most remarkable antibacterial activity against R. solanacearum (EC₅₀ = 2.23 μg/mL), which was significantly superior to that of compound E1 (EC₅₀ = 69.87 μg/mL) and the commercial agent Thiodiazole copper (EC₅₀ = 52.01 μg/mL). Meanwhile, compound 5b displayed the most excellent antifungal activity against S. sclerotiorum (EC₅₀ = 0.51 μg/mL), which was equivalent to that of the commercial fungicide Carbendazim (EC₅₀ = 0.57 μg/mL). The preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) results suggested that introducing an electron-withdrawing group at the meta-position and ortho-position of the benzene ring could endow the final structure with remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activity, respectively. The current results indicated that these compounds were capable of serving as promising lead compounds. Full article