A literature review on dynamic pricing of electricity

Revenue management and dynamic pricing are concepts that have immense possibilities for application in the energy sector. Both can be considered as demand-side management tools that can facilitate the offering of different prices at different demand levels. This paper studies literature on various topics related to the dynamic pricing of electricity and lists future research avenues in pricing policies, consumers’ willingness to pay and market segmentation in this field. Demand and price forecasting play an important role in determining prices and scheduling load in dynamic pricing environments. This allows different forms of dynamic pricing policies to different markets and customers depending on customers’ willingness to pay. Consumers’ willingness to pay for electricity services is also necessary in setting price limits depending on the demand and demand response curve. Market segmentation can enhance the effects of such pricing schemes. Appropriate scheduling of electrical load enhances the consumer response to dynamic tariffs.     

Electron Temperatures and Electron Densities in Microwave Helium Discharges with Pressures Higher than 0.1 MPa

We adopted laser Thomson scattering for measuring the electron density and the electron temperature of microwave plasmas produced in helium at the pressures higher than the atmospheric pressure. The electron density decreased while we observed the increase in the electron temperature with the pressure. These are reasonable results by considering the decrease in the reduced electric field, the dominant loss of electrons via three‐body recombination with helium as the third body, and the production of electrons with medium energy via heavy particle collisions at the high gas pressure. The temporal variation of the electron temperature had the rise and the fall time constants of approximately 10 ns. The rapid heating and cooling of the electron temperature are due to the fast energy transfer from electrons to helium because of the high collision frequency in the high‐pressure discharge. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Characterization of CdS Nanowires Self-Assembled in a Nanoporous Alumina Template

CdS nanowires were self-assembled in a thin film (～200 nm) anodic aluminum oxide template on an indium tin oxide-coated glass substrate via dc electrodeposition. Raman spectral studies were done to probe the vibrational properties of scattering CdS phonons. Strong 1 longitudinal optical (LO), 2 LO, and 3 LO peaks were observed at 302 cm^?1, 603 cm^?1, and 906 cm^?1 having an energy separation of 37 meV, which is in accordance with the CdS bulk values. The photoluminescence spectra showed improved intensity of emission on annealing of the CdS nanowires. Field-emission scanning microscopy confirms the growth of nanowires of diameters ranging from 10 nm to 25 nm for these templates. These diameters agreed with those extracted from the luminescence emission energies.     

Multilayer Hierarchical Model for Mobility Management in IPv6: A Mathematical Exploration

The mobility solution provided by Mobile IPv6 (MIPv6) imposes too much signaling load to the network and enforces large handoff latency to end user. Hierarchical MIPv6 (HMIPv6) on the other hand, is designed by organizing MIPv6 in layered architecture and performs better than MIPv6 in terms of handoff latency and signaling load. Observation shows that, there is still possibility to shrink the handoff latency and the signaling load by further extending HMIPv6 into multiple layers. To explore this possibility of enhanced performance through layered architecture, this paper aimed at mathematical exploration of an N-layered MIPv6 network architecture in order to figure out the optimal levels of hierarchy for mobility management. A widespread analysis is carried out on various parameters such as location update frequency and cost, handoff latency and packet delivery cost. Influence of queuing delay on handoff latency is examined by modeling M/M/1/K queue in the architecture and user mobility is modeled using Markov chain. Analytical investigation reveals that three levels of hierarchy in MIPv6 architecture provide an optimal solution for mobility management.     

Surfactant-induced aggregation patterns of thiazole orange: a photophysical study

The aggregation behavior of the DNA marker dye thiazole orange (TO), has been investigated in two types of surfactant assemblies, namely, premicelles/micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and pre reverse micelles/reverse micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT). In the case of an SDS/water system, absorption spectral changes of TO signify the formation of H-aggregates and H-dimers of the dye at premicellar concentrations, which subsequently convert to the monomeric form beyond the critical micellar concentration (cmc). Interestingly, the observed changes in the absorption and emission characteristics due to the surfactant-induced formation of H-aggregates/dimers of TO are found to be useful to estimate the surfactant concentration parameters for premicellar aggregation of SDS. In the case of an AOT/n-heptane system, similarly, H-aggregates/dimers are observed at low AOT concentrations, below the cmc. However, in this case, the H-dimers persist even beyond the cmc. This is attributed to the strong tendency of TO for self-aggregation and its favorable electrostatic interactions with the AOT head groups. With increasing water content in the AOT reverse micelles, the hydration of the dye leads to the conversion of H-dimers to the monomeric form. The steady-state fluorescence results are nicely corroborated with those from time-resolved fluorescence studies and demonstrate the interesting behavior of the surfactant-induced aggregation of TO dye.     

Free volume related fluorescent behavior in electron beam irradiated chalcone doped PVA

Effect of electron irradiation on the free volume related microstructural and optical properties of chalcone doped Poly(vinyl alcohol) composite films have been studied using FTIR, UV-Visible, XRD and Positron Annihilation techniques. The FTIR spectral study shows that the irradiation induces the crosslinking within the composite. Using UV-Visible absorption spectra the optical energy band gap and activation energies were estimated and the variation of these parameters suggests the existence of defects and molecular ordering within the irradiated composite. XRD diffractograms reveal that the crosslinking enhances the crystallinity of the sample. In this cross-linked polymer composite the fluorescence enhancement has been observed in the fluorescence spectral study. The Positron annihilation result suggests that the irradiation affects the free volume properties and crosslinking hinders the chalcone chromophore molecular rotation. Under this restricted condition the chromophore molecules likely to emit enhanced fluorescence and its mobility is directly related to the free volume around it.     

DNA-directed artificial light-harvesting antenna

Designing and constructing multichromophoric, artificial light-harvesting antennas with controlled interchromophore distances, orientations, and defined donor-acceptor ratios to facilitate efficient unidirectional energy transfer is extremely challenging. Here, we demonstrate the assembly of a series of structurally well-defined artificial light-harvesting triads based on the principles of structural DNA nanotechnology. DNA nanotechnology offers addressable scaffolds for the organization of various functional molecules with nanometer scale spatial resolution. The triads are organized by a self-assembled seven-helix DNA bundle (7HB) into cyclic arrays of three distinct chromophores, reminiscent of natural photosynthetic systems. The scaffold accommodates a primary donor array (Py), secondary donor array (Cy3) and an acceptor (AF) with defined interchromophore distances. Steady-state fluorescence analyses of the triads revealed an efficient, stepwise funneling of the excitation energy from the primary donor array to the acceptor core through the intermediate donor. The efficiency of excitation energy transfer and the light-harvesting ability (antenna effect) of the triads was greatly affected by the relative ratio of the primary to the intermediate donors, as well as on the interchromophore distance. Time-resolved fluorescence analyses by time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) and streak camera techniques further confirmed the cascading energy transfer processes on the picosecond time scale. Our results clearly show that DNA nanoscaffolds are promising templates for the design of artificial photonic antennas with structural characteristics that are ideal for the efficient harvesting and transport of energy.     

Chromatographic separation of carrier free 90Y from 90Sr using a diglycolamide based resin for possible pharmaceutical applications

N,N,N',N'-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) has been used as the stationary phase in an extraction chromatography resin (XCR) material prepared for evaluating the uptake and the separation behaviour of (90)Y and (90)Sr from acidic feeds. Chromosorb-W was used as the solid support material while the feed solution was usually 4M HNO(3). The batch uptake studies have suggested almost no Sr(II) uptake while Y(III) uptake increased with acidity up to 4M HNO(3) beyond which a decrease in the K(d,w) values were observed. Column studies were carried out and breakthrough profiles were obtained for both Y(III) and Sr(II). No breakthrough of Y(III) was noticed even when >50 column volumes of the feed (carrier free (90)Y at 4 M HNO(3)) was passed through the column while about 20 column volumes were required for the breakthrough of Y(III) when the feed contained 1 g/L Y in 4 M HNO(3) spiked with (90)Y tracer. The reusability of the column was also studied which indicated in the deterioration of the column performance as shown by the sharp fall in the breakthrough volumes and was attributed to the probable leaching of the reagent from the support material. The role of absorbed dose was also investigated for Y(III) uptake. Separation of carrier free (90)Y tracer was carried out by loading the column with (90)Sr and eluting with 0.01M solutions of HNO(3) as well as EDTA. The purity of the product was ascertained by half-life method.     

Total synthesis of (+)-ent-cyclizidine: absolute configurational confirmation of antibiotic M146791

The first total synthesis of the enantiomer of the indolizidine alkaloid, cyclizidine, was accomplished from readily available d-serine as the starting chiron. The relevant key reactions involve the stereocontrolled construction of the indolizidine ring system with the required functionality and further elaboration to install the cyclopropyl dienyl side chain. With this total synthesis, the absolute configuration of the natural product based on a redetermination of its X-ray structure has been confirmed.     

An optimization-based decision support system for strategic planning in a process industry: the case of aluminium company in India

We describe how a generic multi-period optimization-based decision support system (DSS) can be used for strategic planning in process industries. The DSS is built on five fundamental elements—materials, facilities, activities, storage areas, and time periods. It requires little direct knowledge of optimization techniques to be used effectively. Results based on real data from an aluminium company in India demonstrate significant potential for improvement in profits. We conclude with a comparison of similar studies in two other process industries.