Search Results (4,160)

This paper proposes an economical scheme to provide redundancy for protection in digital power sub-transmission and distribution substations. The scheme is based on Ethernet communication networks and uses the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard 61850 sampled values (SV). This redundancy scheme develops a method for alternative sources of the SV measurements for feeder and bus relays. The objective is to use the same number of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), also referred to as merging units (MUs), while improving the overall reliability of substation protection. The multisource-based proposed scheme does not require two sets of MUs for redundancy. Instead, each MU is used to back up an adjacent MU. For instance, in a substation using IEC 61850, the protection relay can automatically switch to another available SV stream without interrupting the protection function if an MU fails. This dynamic reconfiguration capability, which ensures the system’s adaptability to changing conditions, is particularly valuable in maintaining system reliability during equipment failures. It allows for real-time adaptation to changing conditions within the substation. The paper evaluates the reliability of the proposed scheme using fault tree analysis (FTA). For demonstration, commercially available MUs and relays are connected to the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) for hardware-in-the-loop testing. Full article

This paper proposes a novel microgrid (MG) architecture designed for telecommunication base stations in non-interconnected regions, with the main objective of mitigating mobile service interruptions caused by power outages. This research consists of three key modules: the first module on resources and components, the second module on characterization, and the third module on design and methodology. The first module presents a comprehensive identification and description of the resources and components of the microgrid within the base station; the second module characterizes the topology and specific configurations of the microgrid; and the last module covers a new methodology for the installation of microgrids in geographic areas lacking electrification, which becomes the contribution of this research work. The novelty of this research presents new control architectures, energy management, and system optimization, including technical–economic analysis. The research outcome highlights the economic and social benefits for both local communities and mobile phone service providers. This research aims to establish a guideline on how these factors affect the focus region of this research. With this technological proposal, a continuous and uninterrupted mobile service is achieved, thus improving the quality of service and minimizing the failures induced by electricity in non-interconnected areas. The tests and validation of the system were carried out with Homer Pro software, integrating socioeconomic and environmental factors. The results obtained present a key solution for this type of application, minimizing costs and increasing reliability for users. Full article

Implementing innovative solutions in the internal transport of manufacturing enterprises is becoming an important element of improving operational efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This article assesses the potential of hydrogen fuel cell (HFCV) forklifts in a steel products manufacturing plant. The verification was carried out using a computer simulation, which enabled the comparison of electric, combustion, and HFCV fleets under identical logistical conditions. The results showed that the HFCV fleet allowed for shorter process execution times and higher utilization compared to electric and combustion variants, mainly due to the elimination of charging and refueling interruptions. Additionally, when powered by green hydrogen, the HFCV fleet offered clear environmental benefits and lower operating costs. The study confirms that HFCV technology can improve the efficiency of internal transport and reduce energy-related operating expenses, although the costs of hydrogen refueling infrastructure were not included and should be addressed in future research. Full article

When the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) began in 1988, the year 2000 target was clearly ambitious. Nonetheless, among 20 countries with endemic wild poliovirus transmission in 2000, only Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan remained endemic in 2014; successful global eradication was anticipated within years. Transmission was interrupted in Nigeria after implementing innovative activities; unfortunately, transmission in Afghanistan and Pakistan has continued into 2025. An additional challenge has been controlling outbreaks and interrupting persistent transmission of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 detected after global withdrawal of the use of Sabin strain type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine. The impediments to progress since 2014 are detailed and the challenges that the GPEI must successfully mitigate are reviewed herein. Primary challenges since the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic include the loss of a sense of urgency and political will/national ownership in stopping poliovirus transmission, lower childhood routine immunization coverage and the decreased quality of outbreak response campaigns. These facets need to be strengthened. Ongoing security challenges require continued vigilance in affected areas of wild poliovirus-endemic countries as well as in countries with persistent transmission of vaccine-derived poliovirus. Eradication can be achieved if the multiple challenges mentioned are urgently and more effectively mitigated. Decreased funding for the GPEI in 2025 represents the primary, acute challenge that, if not urgently addressed, may allow for the reversal of all progress to date. Full article

Drug-resistant tuberculosis represents a challenge with high potential for spread. This ecological study aimed to describe the prevalence and incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis and analyze its spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal patterns in Paraná, Brazil, 2012–2023, and forecast trends through 2030. National surveillance data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann–Kendall trend tests, Global and Local Moran’s I, Kulldorff’s spatial scan statistic, and Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average modeling. A total of 576 cases were identified, corresponding to an incidence of 5.08 per 100,000 inhabitants, with an increasing trend (p < 0.001). After peaking in 2019, incidence declined during the pandemic and rose in 2023. Isoniazid monoresistance was the most frequent profile. Prevalence was higher among males, young adults (15–34 years), and Asian and Black individuals. Spatial distribution showed expansion over time, with early circulation in the West. The North and Northwest exhibited an initial high incidence. Spatial and spatiotemporal analyses identified persistent high-risk clusters in these regions (p < 0.05). Forecasting suggests that, if current conditions persist, the incidence may continue to rise through 2030. The findings highlight the need for surveillance to ensure treatment adherence and interrupt transmission of resistant bacilli, supporting progress toward the global goal of tuberculosis elimination. Full article

Real-time operating systems (RTOSs) are widely used in embedded systems to ensure deterministic task execution, predictable responses, and concurrent operations, which are crucial for time-sensitive applications. However, the growing complexity of embedded systems, increased network connectivity, and dynamic software updates significantly expand the attack surface, exposing RTOSs to a variety of security threats, including memory corruption, privilege escalation, and side-channel attacks. Traditional security mechanisms often impose additional overhead that can compromise real-time guarantees. In this work, we present a Risk-aware Permission Adjustment (RPA) framework, implemented on CHERIoT RTOS, which is a CHERI-based operating system. RPA aims to detect anomalous behavior in real time, quantify security risks, and dynamically adjust permissions to mitigate potential threats. RPA maintains system continuity, enforces fine-grained access control, and progressively contains the impact of violations without interrupting critical operations. The framework was evaluated through targeted fault injection experiments, including 20 real-world CVEs and 15 abstract vulnerability classes, demonstrating its ability to mitigate both known and generalized attacks. Performance measurements indicate minimal runtime overhead while significantly reducing system downtime compared to conventional CHERIoT and FreeRTOS implementations. Full article

Pakistan’s fisheries sector is vital for livelihoods, exports, and food security, yet growth has been constrained by weak infrastructure, limited compliance with sanitary standards, and underinvestment. The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been promoted as a driver of trade facilitation, but its actual effect on fisheries exports remains unclear. This study analyzes export performance to five leading Asian markets—China, Thailand, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Japan—over 2005–2024 using Interrupted Time Series (ITS) and Difference-in-Differences (DiD) models. Results show that overall fisheries exports averaged 1.25 million metric tons (USD 728.7 million) annually, with Asia absorbing 59% of trade. ITS results show that after 2015, there are considerable structural discontinuities in export paths, mainly for China (coefficient = −1.42, p < 0.001) and Thailand (0.95, p = 0.071). DiD analysis confirmed that CPEC had a statistically significant positive impact: the treatment × post-2015 effect was 0.55 (p = 0.050), showing that exports to China and Thailand grew disproportionately compared with control markets (Malaysia, Indonesia). Importantly, value growth outpaced volume growth, suggesting early evidence of value-chain upgrading. By contrast, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia showed contraction, and Japan remained stable with weak significance (−1.16, p = 0.088). These results provide the first causal evidence that CPEC’s operational phase altered Pakistan’s fisheries export dynamics, though benefits remain uneven. The conclusions indicate the necessity to invest specifically in cold chains, certification, and aquaculture to generate corridor-led benefits in sustainable trade, food security, and long-term sectoral resiliency. Full article

Indoor navigation (IN) systems are increasingly essential in environments where GPS signals are unreliable, such as hospitals, airports, and large public buildings. This study explores a smartphone-based approach to indoor positioning that leverages inertial sensor data for accurate step detection and counting, which are fundamental components of pedestrian dead reckoning. A long short-term memory (LSTM) network was trained to recognize step patterns across a variety of indoor movement scenarios. The generalized model achieved an average step detection accuracy of 93%, while scenario-specific models tailored to particular movement types such as turning, stair use, or interrupted walking achieved up to 96% accuracy. The results demonstrate that incorporating activity-specific training improves performance, particularly under complex motion conditions. Challenges such as false positives from abrupt stops and non-walking activities were reduced through model specialization. Although the system performed well offline, real-time deployment on mobile devices requires further optimization to address latency constraints. The proposed approach contributes to the development of accessible and cost-effective indoor navigation systems using widely available smartphone hardware and offers a foundation for future improvements in real-time pedestrian tracking and localization. Full article

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), a typical short-day plant (SDP), relies on photoperiod and light quality signals to regulate flowering and growth. Red light interruptions inhibit its flowering, whereas supplemental blue light can counteract this inhibitory effect. To investigate how “high-blue/low-red” mixed light (RBL) regulates chrysanthemum flowering and growth, we treated ‘Gaya Glory’ plants with 4 h of supplemental or night-interruptional RBL (S-RBL4 or NI-RBL4, 0 or 30 ± 3 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ PPFD) under 10 h short-day and 13 h long-day conditions (SD10 and LD13; white light, WL; 300 ± 5 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ PPFD), recorded as SD10, SD10 + S-RBL4, SD10 + NI-RBL4, LD13, LD13 + S-RBL4, and LD13 + NI-RBL4, respectively. Under SD10 conditions, S-RBL4 promoted flowering and enhanced nutritional quality, whereas NI-RBL4 suppressed flowering. Under LD13 conditions, both treatments alleviated flowering inhibition, with S-RBL4 exhibiting a more pronounced inductive effect. Chrysanthemums displayed superior vegetative growth and physiological metabolism under LD13 compared to SD10, as evidenced by higher photosynthetic efficiency, greater carbohydrate accumulation, and more robust stem development. Furthermore, S-RBL4 exerted a stronger regulatory influence than NI-RBL4 on photosynthetic traits, the activities of sugar metabolism-related enzymes, and gene expression. The photoperiodic flowering of chrysanthemum was coordinately regulated by the photoreceptor-mediated and sugar-induced pathways: CmCRY1 modulated the expression of florigenic genes (CmFTLs) and anti-florigenic gene (CmAFT) to transmit light signals, while S-RBL4 activated sucrose-responsive flowering genes CmFTL1/2 through enhanced photosynthesis and carbohydrate accumulation, thereby jointly regulating floral initiation. The anti-florigenic gene CmTFL1 exhibited dual functionality—its high expression inhibited flowering and promoted lateral branch and leaf growth, but only under sufficient sugar availability, indicating that carbohydrate status modulates its functional activity. Full article

Large-scale integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into distribution networks causes topological-operational situations with multidirectional power flows. One of the main components of distribution networks is the power transformer, which does not have the capabilities for real-time control of distribution network parameters with DERs. The use of solid-state transformers (SSTs) for connecting medium-voltage (MV) and low-voltage (LV) distribution networks of both alternating and direct current has great potential for constructing new distribution networks and enhancing the existing ones. Electricity losses in distribution networks can be reduced through the establishment of MV and LV DC networks. In hybrid AC-DC distribution networks, the SSTs can be especially effective, ensuring compensation for voltage dips, fluctuations, and interruptions; regulation of voltage, current, frequency, and power factor in LV networks; and reduction in the levels of harmonic current and voltage due to the presence of power electronic converters (PECs) and capacitors in the DC link. To control the operating parameters of hybrid distribution networks with solid-state transformers, it is crucial to develop and implement advanced control systems (CSs). The purpose of this review is a comprehensive analysis of the features of the creation of CSs SSTs when they are used in hybrid distribution networks with DERs to identify the most effective principles and methods for managing SSTs of different designs, which will accelerate the development and implementation of CSs. This review focuses on the design principles and control strategies for SSTs, guided by their architecture and intended functionality. The architecture of the solid-state transformer control system is presented with a detailed description of the main stages of control. In addition, the features of the SST CS operating under various topologies and operating conditions of distribution networks are examined. Full article

Rural digitalization in Hungary from 2010 to 2024 is examined, focusing on infrastructure, digital skills, and sectoral uptake. Using secondary data, an interrupted time-series model determines national household internet access, and a regional panel includes post-2020 slope terms. Nationally, uptake continued and accelerated after 2020, while regional trajectories remained broadly parallel, indicating persistent yet narrowing territorial differences. Market indicators point to a capacity-heavy fixed network with county-level disparities, suggesting that affordability and competencies shape the remaining rural gaps. There is a need for place-based policies that jointly target last-mile infrastructure, affordability, and skills to convert access into practical use in rural economies. Full article

Turn-milling is a relatively new process which combines turning and milling operations, offering a number of advantages such as chip breaking and interrupted cutting, which improves tool life. In addition to providing the capability of producing eccentric forms or shapes, it increases productivity for difficult-to-machine material at lower cost. This study investigates the influence of cutting speed and feed on surface roughness and tool wear in conventional turning and turn-milling of H13 tool steel. The tests were conducted for longitudinal and face machining strategies. It was found that the range of surface roughness in turning is lower than in turn-milling. In longitudinal turning, face-turning, and face turn-milling operations, surface roughness is elevated in the higher feeds. However, the surface roughness in longitudinal turn-milling operations can be reduced by increasing the feed. Although the simultaneous rotation of the tool and workpiece in turn-milling could negatively affect the surface quality, this operation provides the advantage of an interrupted cutting mechanism that produces discontinuous chips. Also, the wear of the endmill in longitudinal and face turn-milling operations is lower than the wear of the inserts used in conventional longitudinal and face turning. Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), mathematical models were developed for surface roughness and tool wear in each operation. The RSM models developed in this study achieved coefficients of determination (R²) above 90%, with prediction errors below 7% for surface roughness and below 3% for tool wear. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the feed and cutting speed are the most influential parameters on the surface roughness and tool wear, respectively, with p-value < 0.05. The experimental results demonstrated that tool wear in turn-milling was reduced by up to 50% compared to conventional turning. Full article

Spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3) is a neurodegenerative condition caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine tract within the ATXN3 gene. Normal alleles range from 12 to 44 repeats, while pathogenic alleles have 52 repeats or more. The canonical ATXN3 repeat tract sequence includes three interruptions at positions 3 (CAA), 4 (AAG), and 6 (CAA). The intragenic rs7158733 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) flanks the ATXN3 repeat region and substitutes a TAC¹¹¹⁸ tyrosine codon with a TAA¹¹¹⁸ stop codon, resulting in a shorter ataxin-3aS isoform. We examined the distribution of SCA3 allele repeat sizes in a UK-based cohort presenting with an ataxic phenotype. The 6596 alleles showed a clear gap between normal and expanded alleles, with no intermediate alleles containing 41 to 57 repeats. We used clone sequencing to characterize the structure of the ATXN3 repeat region in a sub-cohort of 44 SCA3 patients. We observed that the three canonical interruptions were typically preserved. There was no association of the interruptions with age at onset detected in this cohort, given the limited power of this sub-cohort. We genotyped the rs7158733 SNP in a sub-cohort of 79 SCA3 patients and found that 74.7% of expanded alleles carried the A¹¹¹⁸ variant, which was associated with earlier disease onset. This study highlights the importance of rs7158733 genotyping alongside ATXN3 repeat sizing for patient evaluation, as this SNP modifies the effect of repeat size on age at onset in SCA3 for pathogenic alleles up to 69 repeats. Full article

To address the persistent challenge of reliable real-time flowrate estimation in complex offshore oil production systems using Electric Submersible Pumps (ESPs), this study proposes a hybrid modeling approach that integrates a first-principles hydrodynamic model with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks. The aim is to enhance prediction accuracy across five offshore wells (A through E) in Brazil, particularly under conditions of limited or noisy sensor data. The methodology encompasses exploratory data analysis, preprocessing, model development, training, and validation using high-frequency operational data, including active power, frequency, and pressure, all collected at one-minute intervals. The LSTM architectures were tailored to the operational stability of each well, ranging from simpler configurations for stable wells to more complex structures for transient systems. Results indicate that prediction accuracy is strongly correlated with operational stability: LSTM models achieved near-perfect forecasts in stable wells such as Well E, with minimal residuals, and effectively captured cyclical patterns in unstable wells such as Well B, albeit with greater error dispersion during abrupt transients. The model also demonstrated adaptability to planned interruptions, as observed in Well A. Statistical validation using ANOVA, Levene’s test, and Tukey’s HSD confirmed significant performance differences (α < 0.01) among the wells, underscoring the importance of well-specific model tuning. This study confirms that the LSTM-based hybrid approach is a robust and scalable solution for real-time flowrate forecasting in digital oilfields, supporting production optimization and fault detection, while laying the groundwork for future advances in adaptive and interpretable modeling of complex petroleum systems. Full article

Cannabis sativa is a short-day (SD) plant, producing inflorescences when the daily scotoperiod (period of darkness) exceeds approximately 10 h of length. As such, the vegetative photoperiod is typically maintained at 16 to 18 h, which limits the scotoperiod to no more than 6 to 8 h and keeps plants in the vegetative stage. The electricity cost associated with supplemental lighting is a major concern for controlled environment cannabis cultivation. Therefore, the strategy of utilizing a 12 h photoperiod while interrupting the scotoperiod with a 1 h “night break” (NB) is appealing, as it reduces the overall electricity required for supplemental lighting by nearly one third, while maintaining vegetative growth. Our study tested the feasibility of this method under controlled indoor conditions. We studied the effect of the NB method (as compared to conventional light/dark periods) on cannabinoid and extractable biomass yields, as well as phenotype. Reducing vegetative DLI via the NB method (29.4 → 21.2 mol m⁻² d⁻¹) reduced extractable floral biomass by ~22% (control 1295 g vs. NB 1015 g per tent), while cannabinoid concentrations were similar between treatments. We also found that NB plants were less vigorous and shorter, with shorter internodes and fewer branches. This evidence suggests that although the NB method may reduce electricity costs during the vegetative stage of controlled environment cannabis growth, the method is not economically feasible due to the loss of yield and plant vigor. Full article