An Externally Fired Micro Combined-Cycle, with Largely Adjustable Steam Turbine, in a CHP System

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procedure selecting pumps running as turbines in micro hydro plants

Abstract The authors present a combined method using statistical and numerical models for selecting a pump running as turbine in micro hydro plants. The data of the site (head and capacity) allow calculating two coefficients, C Q and C H , which identify the pump to use successfully as turbine in that place. A one dimensional model, starting from data available on the pumps manufacturers catalogues, reconstructs a virtual geometry of the PAT, then calculates the performances curves, head vs. capacity, efficiency vs. capacity. The procedure has been applied with the aim to select a PAT recovering energy from a pipeline whose characteristic curve is known

The role of individual social responsibility and corporate social responsibility in the tax fraud war: a comparison between the priorities of Italian and Romanian consumers

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and fiscal responsibility have become a hot topic of debate in recent years. Many studies have investigated CSR and tax avoidance; however, such studies have overlooked countries' tax cultures and fiscal responsibility from a historical perspective and have not addressed how these elements affect current tax avoidance practices. Using a questionnaire, that was administered to a sample of Italian and Romanian respondents, and inferential techniques (Mann–Whitney-test and correlation-test) the paper tries to understand the aspects that be useful in the future development and implementation of more robust fiscal ISR and CSR processes. Our results reveal similarities and differences between the relevance of certain aspects between countries, identifying tax culture as a distinctive element from a geographical point of view. Despite the considerable differences, we found a strong demand for greater transparency of the company with administrations and communities and desire for the development of initiatives to spread a responsible tax culture

Semi-Supervised Overlapping Community Finding based on Label Propagation with Pairwise Constraints

Algorithms for detecting communities in complex networks are generally unsupervised, relying solely on the structure of the network. However, these methods can often fail to uncover meaningful groupings that reflect the underlying communities in the data, particularly when those structures are highly overlapping. One way to improve the usefulness of these algorithms is by incorporating additional background information, which can be used as a source of constraints to direct the community detection process. In this work, we explore the potential of semi-supervised strategies to improve algorithms for finding overlapping communities in networks. Specifically, we propose a new method, based on label propagation, for finding communities using a limited number of pairwise constraints. Evaluations on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate the potential of this approach for uncovering meaningful community structures in cases where each node can potentially belong to more than one community.Comment: Fix table

dynamic simulation of the temperature inlet turbine control system for an unfired micro gas turbine in a concentrating solar tower

Abstract In this work, the dynamic performance of a mass flow regulation system, in a concentrating solar tower plant, with unfired closed micro gas turbine, during clouds transient will be presented. The adjustment system operates with the heliostats field control system, in order to control the temperature inlet turbine. To choose the best configuration, the performance of three heliostats sizes, for four Solar Multiple, has been evaluated. The design of the solar field was carried out by means of Solar Pilot, while the numerical models have been developed in Matlab/Simulink. The results show that a particular configuration is suitable for this purpose

Novel anti-obesity quercetin-derived Q2 prevents metabolic disorders in rats fed with high-fat diet

Objective: Obesity is often accompanied by an increased morbidity and mortality due to an increase of the cardiovascular disease risk factors, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. Research is constantly working on protective molecules against obesity. In the present study, a novel Quercetin derivative Q2 was synthesized to overcome the poor bioavailability and low stability of Quercetin, a natural flavonoid with antioxidative and antiobesity properties. Methods: Rats were fed (12ws) with normodiet (fat:INS; 6.2%), High Fat Diet (fat:60%), HFDINS; +INS; Q2 in water (500INS; nM). Metabolic and anthropometric parameters were measured. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were incubated with Q2 (1-25μM) and the differentiation program was evaluated by lipid accumulation through ORO staining. Gene and protein expression levels were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Results: Compared to HFD, HFDINS; +INS; Q2 rats showed reduced body weight, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia and improved glucose tolerance. This is associated to lower adipose and liver modifications compared to hypertrophy and steatosis observed in HFD. In 3T3-L1 cells, lipid accumulation was significantly impaired by treatment with Q2. Indeed, Q2 significantly decreased the expression of the main adipogenic markers, c/EBPα and PPARγ both at mRNA and protein level. Conclusions: Our results indicate that Q2 markedly decreases differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and contributes to prevent metabolic disorders as well as adipose and liver alterations typical of severe obesity induced by a HFD

Antiepileptic Drugs and Suicide: A Systematic Review of Adverse Effects

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Background:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Since the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) report on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and suicide risk was released (2008), several studies have been published on this controversial relationship. This systematic review (SR) gives an updated approach to this health issue. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Summary:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; We searched 6 databases. We ultimately included 11 publications: 4 cohort studies, 1 case-crossover study, 2 community case-control studies, and 4 SRs. Overall, 1 SR described studies already included; 3 studies reported a 2- to 4-fold overall increase in risk; 1 study reported an increased risk of suicide among epilepsy patients on AEDs with high risk of depression; 1study showed a protective effect among epilepsy patients; 2 studies were conducted with patients with bipolar disorder (1 showed a protective effect, whereas the other showed a 3-fold increase in risk of suicide), and the other 3 studies reported results for single AEDs. Several biases affected the published results. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Key Messages:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; There is no clear evidence of an association between the use of AEDs and an increased risk of suicide because of the heterogeneity in the studies at the clinical and methodological level. A future study should cover all indications for use, retrieve information from a healthcare database, and include a defined set of covariates to avoid bias.</jats:p

Body composition study by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in familial partial lipodystrophy: finding new tools for an objective evaluation (vol 4, pg 40, 2012)

Rio de Janeiro & Catholic Univ, Inst Estadual Diabet & Endocrinol, Metab Unit, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Dept Nutrol, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Endocrinol, São Paulo, SP, BrazilInst Estadual Diabet & Endocrinol, BR-20211340 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Endocrinol, São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Financial Reporting in European Football Teams: A Disclosure Analysis of Player Registrations

Purpose – This paper critically analyses sustainable reporting and transparent valuation of the impairment test application (IAS 36) on intangible assets (IAS 38) in football clubs that prepare financial statements in accordance with IAS/IFRS. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the financial statements of 13 companies listed on the STOXX Europe Football Index for a five-year period (from 2012 to 2016), following a three-step procedure. It focuses on the governing guidelines’ implementation relating to the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations (in September 2009), which was subsequently implemented in 2011/2012. Findings – The research reveals some interesting and some controversial findings. Several football clubs exhibit a low level of disclosure and others a high one. Therefore, this study focuses on specific areas that primarily relate to economic and financial communication, as financial statements need to provide contextual disclosure. Simultaneously, the information disclosed to investors underlines the need for sustainable financing and social decision-making. Research limitations/implications – The first limitation of the study regards the sample size; the number of observations is rather small given the exclusion of Turkish and Polish teams due to non-integral application of IAS/IFRS principles as well as other small-sized companies that do not fit the required company profile. The second limitation is that the players’ registration figures are analysed as aggregate values from a club-level perspective. Originality/value – The study pioneers constructive criticism in relation to financial documentation and reporting produced by football companies. IAS/IFRS require further development in order to adapt typologies of specific sustainable business models for all the companies in the football industry

Peritoneal expression of Matrilysin helps identify early post-operative recurrence of colorectal cancer

Recurrence of colorectal cancer (CRC) following a potentially curative resection is a challenging clinical problem. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) is over-expressed by CRC cells and supposed to play a major role in CRC cell diffusion and metastasis. MMP-7 RNA expression was assessed by real-time PCR using specific primers in peritoneal washing fluid obtained during surgical procedure. After surgery, patients underwent a regular follow up for assessing recurrence. transcripts for MMP-7 were detected in 31/57 samples (54%). Patients were followed-up (range 20–48 months) for recurrence prevention. Recurrence was diagnosed in 6 out of 55 patients (11%) and two patients eventually died because of this. Notably, all the six patients who had relapsed were positive for MMP-7. Sensitivity and specificity of the test were 100% and 49% respectively. Data from patients have also been corroborated by computational approaches. Public available coloncarcinoma datasets have been employed to confirm MMP7 clinical impact on the disease. Interestingly, MMP-7 expression appeared correlated to Tgfb-1, and correlation of the two factors represented a poor prognostic factor. This study proposes positivity of MMP-7 in peritoneal cavity as a novel biomarker for predicting disease recurrence in patients with CRC