Abstract
In a design of a switched reluctance machine, there are a number of parameters that are chosen empirically inside a certain interval, therefore to find an optimum geometry it is necessary to determine how each parameter acts on the performance of the machine. This work presents a study on the influence of geometric dimensions on the performance of the switched reluctance machine. The analysis is done through finite element simulations based on the variation of one parameter while the others are fixed. Graphical and numerical results of torque and magnetic flux are presented for a 6/4 three-phase machine and an 8/6 four-phase machine. The study presented aims to provide consistent data on which dimensions should be modified for specific applications, and thus to base choices made in the design and optimization stage.

Abstract

Abstract
Deterministic Synchronous Multichannel Extension (DSME) is a prominent MAC behavior first introduced in IEEE 802.15.4e. It can avail deterministic and best effort Service using its multisuperframe structure. RPL is a routing protocol for wireless networks with low power consumption and generally susceptible to packet loss. These two standards were designed independently but with the common objective to satisfy the requirements of IoT devices in terms of limited energy, reliability and determinism. A combination of these two protocols can integrate real-time QoS demanding and largescale IoT networks. In this paper, we propose a new multi-channel, multi-timeslot scheduling algorithm called Symphony that provides QoS efficient schedules in DSME networks. In this paper we provide analytical and simulation based delay analysis for our approach against some state of the art algorithms. In this work, we show that integrating routing with DSME can improve reliability by 40 % and by using Symphony, we can reduce the network delay by 10-20% against the state of the art algorithms. © Copyright held by the authors.

Abstract
Precision agriculture nowadays has great importance as it brings together the knowledge acquired through traditional cultivation techniques with precision and technological automation. One of the inherent techniques of precision agriculture is hydroponics, with plants growing using aqueous solutions and without soil availability. Although NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) systems are already well-developed systems, there is a big difference between home projects and highly automated processes, which in turn require high investment values. Among other things, in this work, the aim was to study and developed algorithms that allow the efficient recirculation of water, allowing electricity savings to be around 40% compared to more traditional systems. © 2019 IEEE.

Abstract
Exposure to extreme weather conditions increases power systems' vulnerability in front of high impact, low probability contingency occurrence. In the post-restructuring years, due to the increasing demand for energy, competition between electricity market players and increasing penetration of renewable resources, the provision of effective resiliency-based approaches has received more attention. In this paper, as the major contribution to current literature, a novel approach is proposed for resiliency improvement in a way that enables power system planners to manage several resilience metrics efficiently in a bi-objective optimization planning model simultaneously. For demonstration purposes, the proposed method is applied for optimal placement of the thyristor controlled series compensator (TCSC). Improvement of all considered resilience metrics regardless of their amount in a multi-criteria decision-making framework is novel in comparison to the other previous TCSC placement approaches. Without loss of generality, the developed resiliency improvement approach is applicable in any power system planning and operation problem. The simulation results on IEEE 30-bus and 118-bus test systems confirm the practicality and effectiveness of the developed approach. Simulation results show that by considering resilience metrics, the performance index, importance of curtailed consumers, congestion management cost, number of curtailed consumers, and amount of load loss are improved by 0.63%, 43.52%, 65.19%, 85.93%, and 85.94%, respectively.

Abstract
The dynamic effects of kaolin clay particle film application on the temperature and spectral reflectance of leaves of two autochthonous cultivars (Touriga Nacional (TN, n=32) and Touriga Franca (TF, n=24)) were studied in the Douro wine region. The study was implemented in 2017, in conditions prone to multiple environmental stresses that include excessive light and temperature as well as water shortage. Light reflectance from kaolin-sprayed leaves was higher than the control (leaves without kaolin) on all dates. Kaolin's protective effect over leaves' temperatures was low on the 20 days after application and ceased about 60 days after its application. Differences between leaves with and without kaolin were explained by the normalized maximum leaf temperature (T_max_f_N), reflectance at 400 nm, 532 nm, and 737 nm, as assessed through TN data. The wavelengths of 532 nm and 737 nm are associated with plant physiological processes, which support the selection of these variables for assessing kaolin's effects on leaves. The application of principal component analysis to the TF data, based on these four variables (T_max_f_N and reflectances: 400, 532, 737 nm) selected for TN, explained 83.56% of data variability (considering two principal components), obtaining a clear differentiation between leaves with and without kaolin. The T_max_f_N and the reflectance at 532 nm were the variables with a greater contribution for explaining data variability. The results improve the understanding of the vines' response to kaolin throughout the grapevine cycle and support decisions about the re-application timing.