When and how to repower energy systems? A four strategies-based decision model.

Repowering systems is a long-lasting managerial endeavor where decision-makers face maintenance and optimization problems. The decision time to repower an energy system is one of the most important matters in this field. Also, in the real-world, each component of the system has different versions available in the market, so choosing the best version of components can be one of the valuable and practical issues in repowering a system.

Wind farm topology-finding algorithm considering performance, costs, and environmental impacts.

Optimal power in wind farms turns to be a modern problem for investors and decision makers; onshore wind farms are subject to performance and economic and environmental constraints. The aim of this work is to define the best installed capacity (best topology) with maximum performance and profits and consider environmental impacts as well. In this article, we continue the work recently done on wind farm topology-finding algorithm.

Tactile Perception and Friction-Induced Vibrations: Discrimination of Similarly Patterned Wood-Like Surfaces.

The tactile perception of a surface texture is mediated by factors such as material, topography, and vibrations induced by the sliding contact. In this paper, sensory characterizations are developed together with topographical and tribo-tactile characterizations to relate perceived features with objective measurements of tribological and dynamic signals. Two sets of surface samples are used in this study: the first set is made of a commercial floor covering tiles that aim at counter-typing natural wood flooring, with both a visual and a tactile texture mimicking wood.

Three-dimensional morphological and mineralogical characterization of testate amebae.

Testate amebae are unicellular shelled protozoa commonly used as indicators in ecological and paleoecological studies. We explored the potential application of three-dimensional (3D) X-ray micro-tomography used in addition to 2D techniques (environmental scanning electron microscopy, electron probe micro-analysis, and cathodoluminescence) for detailed characterization of agglutinated shells of protozoa. We analyzed four specimens of the aquatic testate ameba Difflugia oblonga (Arcellinida), to test whether size distribution and mineral composition of shell grains diverged from sediment size distribution and mineralogical composition.