Effect of treated wastewater irrigation on physiological and agronomic properties of beans Vicia faba

The current study investigated the effect of two doses (50%, and 100 %) of treated wastewater (TWW)on biometric and physiologic parameters of Vicia faba beansafter 40 days of exposure. Our data showed a decrease in shoots and roots length and weight in plants amended with TWW. Moreover, a significant decrease in Chlorophyll ‘a\u27, ‘b\u27 and carotene content was observedin plants irrigated with 100% of TWW. These findings provided new insights on TWW reuse which can cause different types of stress as it may affect the development of cultivated crops

A new characterization of atomic stable parts for a partial order relation applied to the one-machine scheduling problem

A set E endowed with a partial order relation Ɍ can be decomposed into subsets called “atomic stable parts” for Ɍ, totally ordered. These atomic stable parts are the equivalence classes of an equivalence relation T (®) [1]. In fact if S(x) is the atom containing x (x Є E) and E endowed with the partial order relation Ɍ), then Cl(x) is the equivalence class of x for the equivalence relation T (®) defined by: x,y)Є E 2 , x® y <==> not (x Ɍ y or y Ɍ x); (® is a symmetric relation by construction. Its transitive closure T (®) is an equivalence relation [2]. In this article we propose a new characterization of the atomic stable parts for Ɍ. The approach consists in defining a square matrix B called matrix of “Ranks” from the relation Ɍ whose coefficients are Boolean (bij = 0 or 1) [3] , [4], [5]. This matrix B represents a bipartite graph G. An interpretation of the canonical components of the bipartite graph will allow us to characterize the atomic stable parts of the set E endowed with Ɍ. We indeed show that in the irreducible sub graphs Gi of G (Gi (Si,Ti ;A(Gi)), the subsets Si of E (i=1,….,k) are the atomic stable parts for the partial order relation Ɍ An application is proposed for the temporal decomposition of the one-machine scheduling problem

A new characterization of atomic stable parts for a partial order relation applied to the one-machine scheduling problem

A set E endowed with a partial order relation Ɍ can be decomposed into subsets called “atomic stable parts” for Ɍ, totally ordered. These atomic stable parts are the equivalence classes of an equivalence relation T (®) [1]. In fact if S(x) is the atom containing x (x Є E) and E endowed with the partial order relation Ɍ), then Cl(x) is the equivalence class of x for the equivalence relation T (®) defined by: x,y)Є E 2 , x® y not (x Ɍ y or y Ɍ x); (® is a symmetric relation by construction. Its transitive closure T (®) is an equivalence relation [2]. In this article we propose a new characterization of the atomic stable parts for Ɍ. The approach consists in defining a square matrix B called matrix of “Ranks” from the relation Ɍ whose coefficients are Boolean (bij = 0 or 1) [3] , [4], [5]. This matrix B represents a bipartite graph G. An interpretation of the canonical components of the bipartite graph will allow us to characterize the atomic stable parts of the set E endowed with Ɍ. We indeed show that in the irreducible sub graphs Gi of G (Gi (Si,Ti ;A(Gi)), the subsets Si of E (i=1,….,k) are the atomic stable parts for the partial order relation Ɍ An application is proposed for the temporal decomposition of the one-machine scheduling problem

Onset of magnetism in B2 transition metals aluminides

Ab initio calculation results for the electronic structure of disordered bcc Fe(x)Al(1-x) (0.4<x<0.75), Co(x)Al(1-x) and Ni(x)Al(1-x) (x=0.4; 0.5; 0.6) alloys near the 1:1 stoichiometry, as well as of the ordered B2 (FeAl, CoAl, NiAl) phases with point defects are presented. The calculations were performed using the coherent potential approximation within the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method (KKR-CPA) for the disordered case and the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method for the intermetallic compounds. We studied in particular the onset of magnetism in Fe-Al and Co-Al systems as a function of the defect structure. We found the appearance of large local magnetic moments associated with the transition metal (TM) antisite defect in FeAl and CoAl compounds, in agreement with the experimental findings. Moreover, we found that any vacancies on both sublattices enhance the magnetic moments via reducing the charge transfer to a TM atom. Disordered Fe-Al alloys are ferromagnetically ordered for the whole range of composition studied, whereas Co-Al becomes magnetic only for Co concentration >0.5.Comment: 11 pages with 9 embedded postscript figures, to be published in Phys.Rev.

Real time adaptive efficient cold start strategy for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Cold start of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) at sub-zero temperatures is perceived as one of the obstacles in their commercialization way in automotive application. This paper proposes a novel internal-based adaptive strategy for the cold start of PEMFC to control its operating current in real time in a way to maximize the generated heat flux and electrical power in a short time span. In this respect, firstly, an online parameter identification method is integrated into a semi-empirical model to cope with the PEMFC performances drifts during cold start. Subsequently, an optimization algorithm is launched to find the best operating points from the updated model. Finally, the determined operating point, which is the current corresponding to the maximum power, is applied to PEMFC to achieve a rapid cold start. It should be noted that the utilization of adaptive filters has escaped the attention of previous PEMFC cold start studies. The ultimate results of the proposed strategy are experimentally validated and compared to the most commonly used cold start strategies based on Potentiostatic and Galvanostatic modes. The experimental outcomes of the comparative study indicate the striking superior performance of the proposed strategy in terms of heating time and energy requirement. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Net zero in healthcare buildings: Lessons from assessing the strategies of 214 NHS trusts in England

\ua9 2025Although there is an overabundance of net-zero building frameworks, simple strategy and performance management guidelines for healthcare buildings are scarce. This study presents a novel approach to uncover barriers to achieving net-zero healthcare buildings. It first highlights the importance of standardising and simplifying net-zero frameworks through literature review. Then, it presents a new checklist-based, and user-friendly performance assessment net-zero (PANZ) matrix. This is demonstrated through its application to the main national healthcare service provider in the UK: the National Health Service (NHS). The matrix assesses the performance of the 214 NHS trusts through the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model. The credibility, ambition and feasibility of the trusts’ net-zero strategies are assessed and linked to ISO 14068 carbon neutrality principles. This matrix is designed to scale net-zero performance assessment across other building operators globally. It is found that, although the NHS is leading the healthcare sector worldwide in setting net-zero targets, the viability of its trusts’ strategies is questionable, with average scores of 54 %, 41 %, and 8 % for measures of credibility, ambition, and feasibility, respectively. Process streamlining, the use of environmental management systems (EMS), decarbonisation schemes rollout, and applying key performance indicators (KPIs), are the main steps to ensure effective application of net-zero strategies. Implementing these steps by adhering to the PDCA cycle improves the feasibility scores to 24 %, 43 %, and 63 %. This research shows that consistency and comparability across different regions are needed to achieve net zero, especially within complex buildings such as for the healthcare sector

Efficient model selection for real-time adaptive cold start strategy of a fuel cell system on vehicular applications

The PEMFC maximum power is greatly influenced by subfreezing temperature and degradation phenomena. Therefore, a dependable model is required to estimate the power with respect to the variation of the operating conditions and state of health. Semi-empirical models are potent tools in this regard. Nonetheless, there is not much information about their cold environment reliability. This paper comprehensively compares the performance of some models (already tested in normal ambient temperature) in subfreezing condition to introduce the most reliable one for PEMFC cold start-up application. Firstly, seven models are compared regarding voltage losses and precision. Subsequently, the three most dependable ones are selected and experimentally compared at sub-zero temperature in terms of polarization curve estimation for three PEMFCs with different degradation levels. The results of this study indicate that the model introduced by Amphlett et al. has a superior performance compared to other ones regarding the characteristic's estimation in below-zero temperature

Comparative analysis of two online identification algorithms in a fuel cell system

Output power of a fuel cell (FC) stack can be controlled through operating parameters (current, temperature, etc.) and is impacted by ageing and degradation. However, designing a complete FC model which includes the whole physical phenomena is very difficult owing to its multivariate nature. Hence, online identification of a FC model, which serves as a basis for global energy management of a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), is considerably important. In this paper, two well-known recursive algorithms are compared for online estimation of a multi-input semi-empirical FC model parameters. In this respect, firstly, a semi-empirical FC model is selected to reach a satisfactory compromise between computational time and physical meaning. Subsequently, the algorithms are explained and implemented to identify the parameters of the model. Finally, experimental results achieved by the algorithms are discussed and their robustness is investigated. The ultimate results of this experimental study indicate that the employed algorithms are highly applicable in coping with the problem of FC output power alteration, due to the uncertainties caused by degradation and operation condition variations, and these results can be utilized for designing a global energy management strategy in a FCV. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhei