A dynamic simulation of low-carbon policy influences on endogenous electricity demand in an isolated island system

This paper considers the dynamics of electricity demand in response to changes arising from low-carbon policies and socio-economic developments. As part of an investigation into the evolution of such systems on small economically-developed islands, endogenous electricity demand and associated policies are studied for the Azorean island of São Miguel. A comprehensive System Dynamics (SD) model covering the period 2005 − 2050 is presented which captures both historical behaviours and real-world influences on the endogenous demand dynamics of an island-based electricity system. The impact of tourism, energy efficiency and electric vehicles (EV) expansion allied with associated policy options, are critically evaluated by the SD model using a series of scenarios. The model shows that energy efficiency measures exhibit the most significant long-term impact on electricity demand, while in contrast, policies to increase tourism have a much less direct impact and EV expansion has thought-provoking impacts on the long-term demand, although this is not as influential as energy efficiency measures

Insights into the Thermal Generation Futures of Isolated Island Electricity Systems Using System Dynamics

In future, long-term thermal generation investments will be greatly influenced by the best available mixes of legacy fossil fuels and renewable sources. Intuitively, a detailed first look at the dynamics which surrounds thermal investments will assist policy makers in shaping optimally required generation mixes. To achieve this, a system dynamics model of an isolated island electricity system was developed. This model gauges the long-term investment decisions that can exist within such systems. It addresses the thermal capacity additions and the extent to which financially influenced and demand growth influenced additions affects the long-term stability of the system. Reflecting a reality typical of island systems, this model does not have a supply and demand driven pricing mechanism and thus adopts exogenous electricity tariffs. It however accounts endogenously for changes in the thermal capacity margins and capacity costing. The case study used considers the Azorean island of Sao Miguel; which provides a background for the model and is used for testing its ability to capture various aspects of historical behaviors and real-world influences on the long-term thermal generation decisions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the investment decision insights gained and the possible future extensions, uses and modifications of the model

Passive sentence reversal errors in autism: Replicating Ambridge, Bidgood, and Thomas (2020)

Ambridge, Bidgood, and Thomas (2020) conducted an elicitation-production task in which children with and without (high-functioning) autism described animations following priming with passive sentences. The authors report that children with autism were more likely than IQ-matched children without autism to commit reversal errors, for instance describing a scene in which the character Wendy surprised the character Bob by saying Wendy was surprised by Bob. We set out to test whether this effect replicated in a new sample of children with and without (high-functioning) autism (N = 26), and present a cumulative analysis in which data from the original study and the replication were pooled (N = 56). The main effect reported by Ambridge et al. (2020) replicated: While children with and without autism produced a similar number of passive responses in general, the responses of children with autism were significantly more likely to include reversal errors. Despite age-appropriate knowledge of constituent order in passive syntax, thematic role assignment is impaired among some children with high-functioning autism

‘C’était moi mais ce n’était pas moi’: portrayal of the disabled body in Catherine Breillat’s Abus de faiblesse (2013)

Writer/director Catherine Breillat’s most recent film, Abus de faiblesse (2013), explores an important moment of bodily transition: the change from able to disabled body. This semi-autobiographic film follows the story of film director Maud (Breillat’s alter ego), who forms a destructive relationship with a conman, Vilko, after she suffers a disabling stroke. This film shows consistency with Breillat’s previous work in its exploration of the constructed nature of the female body onscreen. In the past the filmmaker has portrayed moments of trauma and transition (such as childbirth, loss of virginity or rape) to subvert processes of objectification. The article argues that Abus de faiblesse challenges and subverts representation of the post-menopausal and disabled body onscreen. The film interrogates binary oppositions such as able/disabled and independence/dependency to challenge representations of the disabled body as ‘other’. With reference to scholarly work on disability and the ageing female body, the article suggests that Maud’s sadomasochistic relationship with Vilko is driven by a quest to retain her subjectivity after her stroke. The article demonstrates that the film dissects the feared and the unknown territory of the ageing female body

The shift from sterling to the dollar 1965-76: evidence from Australia and New Zealand

The management of foreign exchange reserves has recently attracted attention from both policy-makers and historians. Historical research has focussed on the nineteenth century and the interwar period, with less attention to the strategies of smaller countries in the final transition from sterling to the dollar in the post-1945 period. This article examines the evolution of reserve currency policy from the perspective of Australia and New Zealand in the 1960s and early 1970s. As in the 1930s, economic uncertainty and a shift in global economic power prompted changes in reserves strategy. Patterns of trade and debt and falling confidence in British economic policy prompted a move away from sterling, but the timing and extent of this transition were affected by the fragility of the sterling exchange rate, lack of alternative assets, and continued dependence on the London capital market. The choices for Australia and New Zealand were thus constrained, but they were able to leverage their position as holders of sterling to engage in agreements that provided an exchange rate guarantee for their sterling holdings and continued access to the London capital market. This mitigated the effect of the final global transition from sterling to the dollar while protecting their interests

Efficient Congestion Minimisation by Successive Load Shifting in Multilayer Wireless Networks

Congestion in wireless networks is one of the major causes of system inefficiency, and with router load being the main contributor to overall network traffic flow, congestion is very dependent on the level of router load and how it can be effectively managed. This paper presents a novel low-complexity Successive Load Shifting (SLS) technique for intelligently shifting router load between network routers by predicting the probability of congestion occurrences in the network and exploiting the topology to reassign load to minimise congestion. Crucially, SLS does not compromise the data rate in avoiding congestion and is able to be seamlessly embedded into existing protocols with only a small increase incurred in system overheads. The performance of SLS has been extensively tested and critically evaluated using the widely adopted TCP and UDP protocols, with results confirming both significant throughput gains and superior packet loss performance

Understanding Dwarf Galaxies in order to Understand Dark Matter

Much progress has been made in recent years by the galaxy simulation community in making realistic galaxies, mostly by more accurately capturing the effects of baryons on the structural evolution of dark matter halos at high resolutions. This progress has altered theoretical expectations for galaxy evolution within a Cold Dark Matter (CDM) model, reconciling many earlier discrepancies between theory and observations. Despite this reconciliation, CDM may not be an accurate model for our Universe. Much more work must be done to understand the predictions for galaxy formation within alternative dark matter models.Comment: Refereed contribution to the Proceedings of the Simons Symposium on Illuminating Dark Matter, to be published by Springe

CAVRN Syllabus, Vol. 1

In this inaugural volume, we introduce CAVRN and set out an agenda for a Critical Augmented and Virtual Reality research Network. Through what we refer to as ‘critical AR and VR studies’, we argue there is urgent need for research that takes stock of rapid developments in the AR and VR space – accounting for the ethical, social, political, and economic implications of these technologies. This volume of CAVRN presents 16 contributions offering critical perspectives on AR and VR, encompassing diverse domains, united in their call for a deeper exploration of the complexities of virtual interaction, advocating for an approach to the critique of VR that accounts for both its material-technical affordances and its socio-cultural dimensions. The contributions in this volume cover four main areas – 1) the policy, regulatory, and legal implications of AR and VR, 2) media theoretical approaches to studying VR, 3) responses to the emerging ‘metaverse’, and 4) VR experiences and storytelling

Role of cellular senescence and NOX4-mediated oxidative stress in systemic sclerosis pathogenesis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by progressive fibrosis of skin and numerous internal organs and a severe fibroproliferative vasculopathy resulting frequently in severe disability and high mortality. Although the etiology of SSc is unknown and the detailed mechanisms responsible for the fibrotic process have not been fully elucidated, one important observation from a large US population study was the demonstration of a late onset of SSc with a peak incidence between 45 and 54 years of age in African-American females and between 65 and 74 years of age in white females. Although it is not appropriate to consider SSc as a disease of aging, the possibility that senescence changes in the cellular elements involved in its pathogenesis may play a role has not been thoroughly examined. The process of cellular senescence is extremely complex, and the mechanisms, molecular events, and signaling pathways involved have not been fully elucidated; however, there is strong evidence to support the concept that oxidative stress caused by the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species may be one important mechanism involved. On the other hand, numerous studies have implicated oxidative stress in SSc pathogenesis, thus, suggesting a plausible mechanism in which excessive oxidative stress induces cellular senescence and that the molecular events associated with this complex process play an important role in the fibrotic and fibroproliferative vasculopathy characteristic of SSc. Here, recent studies examining the role of cellular senescence and of oxidative stress in SSc pathogenesis will be reviewed

Transition pathways for a UK low-carbon electricity system: comparing scenarios and technology implications

The United Kingdom (UK) has placed itself on a transition towards a low-carbon economy and society, through the imposition of a goal of reducing its ‘greenhouse’ gas emissions by 80% by 2050. A set of three low-carbon ‘Transition Pathways’ were developed to examine the influence of different governance arrangements on achieving a low-carbon future. They focus on the power sector, including the potential for increasing use of low-carbon electricity for heating and transport. These transition pathways were developed by starting from narrative storylines regarding different governance framings, drawing on interviews and workshops with stakeholders and analysis of historical analogies. Here the quantified pathways are compared and contrasted with the main scenarios developed in the UK Government’s 2011 Carbon Plan. This can aid an informed debate on the technical feasibility and social acceptability of realising transition pathways for decarbonising the UK energy sector by 2050. The contribution of these pathways to meeting Britain’s energy and carbon reduction goals are therefore evaluated on a ‘whole systems’ basis, including the implications of ‘upstream emissions’ arising from the ‘fuel supply chain’ ahead of power generators themselves