Technology Solutions Experts (United States)

This analysis reveals the contribution of fundamental rights to the restoration of contractual balance. The judicial illustrations presented show the difficulties raised by reconciling contractual freedom with the fundamental rights enshrined by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the triumph of fundamental freedoms over the binding force of the contract. The impact of the ECHR in contractual matters results from the horizontal effect granted to the text, meaning its applicability in inter-individual relations. By providing clarity and strength to fundamental rights, the alliance of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union thus ensures protection and legal certainty within the EU. The developments in European contract law suggest a pluralistic notion of contract in European private law based not only on the will of the parties but also on good faith and legitimate expectations. Indeed, the assessment and restoration of contractual balance concerning the provisions of the ECHR speak of a renewed paradigm of contract in European private law.

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> This paper reports on successfully testing a new, autonomously operating measurement system on a Grob G 520 Egrett aircraft for in-flight aerosol and trace gas measurements of engine exhaust. A suite of in-house-built and commercially available instruments was selected, modified, and adapted to the unpressurized compartment of the Egrett to operate over a wide range of ambient temperatures and pressure levels. We performed first in-flight emission measurements at cruise altitudes behind a twin-turboprop aircraft, the Piper Cheyenne, powered by Garrett/Honeywell TPE 331-14 engines, over Texas in April 2022.The instrumentation and inlets on the Egrett were designed to measure non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM), total particulate matter (tPM), nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂), water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and contrail ice particles. All instruments were operated in relevant plume conditions at cruise altitudes between 7.6 and 10.4 km (FL250 and FL340) at distances ranging from 100 to 1200 m between the two aircraft. The instruments proved to have high reliability, a large dynamic range, and sufficient accuracy, which is adequate for measuring the emissions of the turboprop engine. We derived the emission indices (EI) for tPM, nvPM, and NO_x at cruise. The particulate emission indices range from 9.6 to 16.2 &times;10¹⁴ kg^&minus;1 (particles per kg fuel burned) for EI_tPM and from 8.1 to 12.4 &times;10¹⁴ kg^&minus;1 for EI_nvPM (medians). For NO_x we find rather low EI_NOx between 7.3 and 7.7 g kg^&minus;1 for EI_NOx (medians). Furthermore, aerosol size distributions have been measured in the exhaust plume. The analysis of the size-resolved emission index indicates a log-normal distribution with geometric mean and standard deviation at D_g = 34.7 &plusmn; 1.9 nm. This geometric diameter value is in the range of jet engine soot emissions previously measured in flight. The measurements help to constrain the climate impact of current turboprop engines and provide a benchmark for future alternative H₂ propulsion systems such as fuel cells and direct combustion engines.

Renewable energy developers are highlighting the co-benefits of agrivoltaic systems for energy production and crop production. To quantify these co-benefits, an essential step is to understand the impact of photovoltaic structures on the micro-climate provided to the crop. This study investigates the impact of a tracking agrivoltaic structure, referred to as a canopy, on local micro-climate over a nine-year period. This presentation highlights the first-year results&amp;#160;at four sites commissioned in France. Micro-climate monitoring includes 15min data for air and soil temperature and humidity, wind speed, irradiation, and precipitation for each site. These measurements are taken under the canopy and on a control plot adjacent to the plant. The differences between the canopy and the control micro-climates are analysed, with a particular focus on quantifying the adaptation potential of the canopy for crops regarding climate change. Hydro-meteorological indicators are also studied, in order to understand more precisely the impact of micro-climate on crops. The following observations were&amp;#160;made :The canopy mitigated extreme air temperatures by an average of -2&amp;#176;C and +1.5&amp;#176;C for respectively extreme high and low temperatures. It reduced soil temperatures by an average of 1&amp;#176;C during summer hot days; Evapotranspiration decreased under the canopy, while air moisture levels were, on average, 1% higher than in the control plot; Sharing light resources under the canopy is a major challenge especially for specific phenological stages of the crop. Adaptations of tracking angles are considered to combine the protective effect of the structures with the crops' need for light at these stages. To implement such adaptations, modelling tools are developped, including irradiance model. Caracterization of the irradiance models regarded to the in-situ measurments is presented. This study determines that agrivoltaic systems such as canopies can increase the resilience of agricultural systems, notably by absorbing shocks due to extrem events. This can only be true if we think of a synergistic tracking system that optimizes food and energy productions. At that condition, those systems then have the capacity to grow a farm&amp;#8217;s sustainability regarding climate change and economic swings.

This paper studies the last-iterate convergence properties of the exponential weights algorithm with constant learning rates. We consider a repeated interaction in discrete time, where each player uses an exponential weights algorithm characterized by an initial mixed action and a fixed learning rate, so that the mixed action profile $p^t$ played at stage $t$ follows an homogeneous Markov chain. At first, we show that whenever a strict Nash equilibrium exists, the probability to play a strict Nash equilibrium at the next stage converges almost surely to 0 or 1. Secondly, we show that the limit of $p^t$, whenever it exists, belongs to the set of ``Nash Equilibria with Equalizing Payoffs''. Thirdly, we show that in strong coordination games, where the payoff of a player is positive on the diagonal and 0 elsewhere, $p^t$ converges almost surely to one of the strict Nash equilibria. We conclude with open questions.

Abstract Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) are a well‐known terrestrial space weather hazard. They occur in power transmission networks and are known to have adverse effects in both high‐latitude and midlatitude countries. Here we study GICs in the Irish power transmission network (geomagnetic latitude 54.7–58.5°N) during five geomagnetic storms (6–7 March 2016, 20–21 December 2015, 17–18 March 2015, 29–31 October 2003, and 13–14 March 1989). We simulate electric fields using a plane wave method together with two ground resistivity models, one of which is derived from magnetotelluric measurements (magnetotelluric (MT) model). We then calculate GICs in the 220, 275, and 400 kV transmission network. During the largest of the storm periods studied, the peak electric field was calculated to be as large as 3.8 V km−1, with associated GICs of up to 23 A using our MT model. Using our homogenous resistivity model, those peak values were 1.46 V km−1 and 25.8 A. We find that three 400 and 275 kV substations are the most likely locations for the Irish transformers to experience large GICs.

Incident command systems (ICS) are flexible and reliable organizational structures that can be adapted for responding to emergency situations such as fire fighting, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks such as the synchronized distributed terrorist attacks of 9/11 and more recently Mumbai attacks. ICS often requires the temporary assembly members from multiple organizations to respond to emergencies, requiring speedy, efficient, and effective decision making that can only be achieved through best practices of information management. ICS involves the integration of emergency responders from diverse organizations including fire fighting, police, medical, and military. Information management and communication presents a key technical challenge to ICS especially because of the cross-organizational need to enable a common operational picture and the need to ensure that critical information gets to the right organizations and individuals at the right time. This research investigates this challenge and the use of various methodologies to meet the challenge including semantic, modeling, and simulation technologies.

No abstract available.

Abstract Unsteady buffet loads, resulting from high angle of attack maneuvers, cause excessive vibrations in the vertical tail of fighter aircraft. These vibrations increase structural fatigue, reduce service life and reduce availability of the aircraft. Therefore, a need exists to suppress the buffet induced vibrations. This paper describes an active buffet suppression system designed to reduce the structural response of a full scale fighter tail under buffet loads. The system level design is discussed in detail with particular attention paid to actuator design and distribution. The analysis concludes with an estimate of the system performance based on modeled disturbance rejection. The design successfully reduces the response of the tail within specific design and weight constraints. The Buffet Load Alleviation system consists of induced strain piezoceramic actuators distributed on the surface of the tail. The actuators are driven by a digital programmable controller and a linear amplifier system. Closed loop control is achieved using accelerometers and strain gages located on the tail for the feedback.