Reconciling qualitative storylines and quantitative descriptions: an iterative approach

Energy system transition research has been experimenting with the integration of qualitative and quantitative analysis due to the increased articulation it provides. Current approaches tend to be heavily biased by qualitative or quantitative methodologies, and more often are aimed toward a single academic discipline. This paper proposes an interdisciplinary methodology for the elaboration of energy system socio-technical scenarios, applied here to the low carbon transition of the UK. An iterative approach was used to produce quantitative descriptions of the UK's energy transition out to 2050, building on qualitative storylines or narratives that had been developed through the formal application of a transition pathways approach. The combination of the qualitative and quantitative analysis in this way subsequently formed the cornerstone of wider interdisciplinary research, helping to harmonise assumptions, and facilitating ‘whole systems’ thinking. The methodology pulls on niche expertise of contributors to map and investigate the governance and technological landscape of a system change. Initial inconsistencies were found between energy supply and demand and addressed, the treatment of gas generation, capacity factors, total installed generating capacity and installation rates of renewables employed. Knowledge gaps relating to the operation of combined heat and power, sources of waste heat and future fuel sources were also investigated. Adopting the methodological approach to integrate qualitative and quantitative analysis resulted in a far more comprehensive elaboration than previously, providing a stronger basis for wider research, and for deducing more robust insights for decision-making. It is asserted that this formal process helps build robust future scenarios not only for socio political storylines but also for the quantification of any qualitative storyline

Mechanisms leading to increased vasodilator responses to calcitonin-gene-related peptide in mesenteric resistance arteries of early pregnant rats.

Contains fulltext : 69189.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The objective of this study was to explore the mechanism responsible for the higher relaxing responses of mesenteric arteries to calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) in pregnancy. We performed myograph and ligand binding studies to determine the role of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and CGRP receptor density. MMP activity was manipulated in isolated arteries by exposing them to the blocking effects of doxycycline. Vascular activity of MMP-2 was studied by gelatin zymography, and CGRP receptor density was determined by ligand binding analysis. Compared to nonpregnant rats, CGRP elicited stronger arterial relaxation in pregnant rats. The latter effect was neither accompanied by a change in relaxing responses to direct activation of adenylyl cyclase by forskolin nor by a change in the response to stimulation of G-protein-coupled adrenergic receptors by isoproterenol. Doxycycline did not affect the stronger arterial relaxation in pregnancy in spite of the observed more than threefold higher arterial MMP-2 activity. Density of binding sites for [(125)I]CGRP in arteries from pregnant rats (64 +/- 14 fmol/mg protein) and from virgin rats (54 +/- 5 fmol/mg protein) were comparable. The results of this study provide evidence for increased coupling of CGRP receptors to adenylyl cyclase in early pregnancy

CMS Physics Technical Design Report: Addendum on High Density QCD with Heavy Ions

This report presents the capabilities of the CMS experiment to explore the rich heavy-ion physics programme offered by the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The collisions of lead nuclei at energies $\sqrt{s_{NN}}= 5.5\,{\rm TeV}$ , will probe quark and gluon matter at unprecedented values of energy density. The prime goal of this research is to study the fundamental theory of the strong interaction \u2014 Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) \u2014 in extreme conditions of temperature, density and parton momentum fraction (low- x ). This report covers in detail the potential of CMS to carry out a series of representative Pb-Pb measurements. These include "bulk" observables, (charged hadron multiplicity, low p T inclusive hadron identified spectra and elliptic flow) which provide information on the collective properties of the system, as well as perturbative probes such as quarkonia, heavy-quarks, jets and high p T hadrons which yield "tomographic" information of the hottest and densest phases of the reaction