Evaluation of an energy- and exergy-based generic modeling approach of combined heat and power plants

Reduced models of combined heat and power plants are required for different applications. Among other usages, they are implemented as mixed integer linear programs (MILP) in energy market models or price-based unit commitment problems to study the economic feasibility and optimal operation strategies of different units. Generic models are particularly useful when limited information is available for each considered plant. This paper presents a MILP modeling approach for combined heat and power (CHP) plants. The approach is based on energy and exergy balances and a few typical plant characteristics for different operating conditions. The reduction of electrical power output due to heat extraction is estimated by the transferred exergy to the district heating network. Furthermore, the accuracy, strengths and limitations of this approach are investigated for various CHP plant types with extraction condensing turbines designed for district heating systems. Therefore, detailed thermodynamic cycle simulations of CHP plants including part load operations are used to obtain the real plant operating conditions to compare them to the results of the described generic approach. The validation of the reduced, generic model shows that the accuracy mainly depends on the effectiveness of the heat extraction from the CHP plant. In addition, it can be seen that the main advantage of the presented exergy-based method is the inherent consideration of the feed flow temperature for the calculation of the power reduction due to heat extraction.BMWi, 03ET1188A, EnEff:Wärme - Der Beitrag thermischer Speicher zur Steigerung der Energieeffizienz, Flexibilität und Wirtschaftlichkeit der Fernwärme- und Stromerzeugung in KWK-Anlage

Dekapodni rakovi u zaljevu Argolikos (istočni dio Sredozemnog mora, središnji dio Egejskog mora)

The study presents the biomass, the abundance and the depth distribution of the decapod crustaceans in Argolikos Gulf (Central Aegean Sea) from data collected in trawl surveys carried out throughout 2008. This work is the first systematic work in this important Greek area and will support the knowledge for understanding the decapods stocks’ fishery in the above area. A total of 28 species of decapod crustaceans was identified from a total of 42 hauls made in three depth zones (50-100 m, 100-200 m, 500-600 m). Among decapods recorded were 6 Dendrobranchiata (5 Penaeoidea, 1 Sergestoidea), 22 Pleocyemata (9 Brachyura, 8 Caridea, 2 Anomura, 1 Palinurid, 1 Astacideum, 1 Stenopodidea). The most abundant commercial species found in both shallower depth zones (50-100 m, 100-200 m ) was Parapenaeus longirostris while in the deepest one (500-600 m) Aristaeomorpha foliacea was the most numerous. Some new depth distribution records for the Eastern Mediterranean were obtained for some few species.U ovom radu su prikazani biomasa, abundancija i dubinska raspodjela dekapodnih rakova u Argolikos zaljevu (središnji dio Egejskog mora) dobiveni iz podataka prikupljenih povlačnim alatima tijekom 2008. godine. Ovaj rad je prvi sustavni rad, iz ovog važnog grčkog područja, koji donosi saznanja za bolje razumijevanje dekapodnih zaliha. Ustanovljeno je 28 vrsta dekapodnih rakova tijekom 42 koćarska potega na tri dubine (50-100 m, 100-200 m, 500-600 m). Zabilježene su slijedeće vrste dekapodnih rakova: 6 Dendrobranchiata (5 Penaeoidea, 1 Sergestoidea), 22 Pleocyemata (9 Brachyura, 8 Caridea, 2 Anomura, 1 Palinurid, 1 stacideum, 1 Stenopodidea). Najbrojnija komercijalna vrsta koja je pronađena u obje pliće zone (50-100 m, 100-200 m) je P. longirostris, dok je u najdubljoj zoni (500-600 m) bio najbrojniji A. foliacea. Tijekom istraživanja u istočnom Sredozemnom moru su ustanovljeni novi nalazi o raspodjeli nekih vrsta prema dubini

Flexible and economical operation of chlor‐alkali process with subsequent polyvinyl chloride production

Demand response (DR) can compensate for imbalances in variable renewable energy supplies. This possibility is particularly interesting for electrochemical processes, due to their high energy intensity. To determine the technical feasibility and economic viability of DR, we chose the chlor‐alkali process with subsequent polyvinyl chloride production, including intermediate storage for ethylene dichloride. We estimate the maximum possible cost savings of implementing load flexibility measures. A process model is set up to determine the system characteristic. Subsequent optimizations result in the facility's best possible dispatch depending on additional and minimum power load, storage volume, and cost of a load change. Real plant data are used to specify model parameters and validate the system characteristic and the plant dispatch. An economic evaluation reveals the economic advantages of efficiency and flexibility. The approach can be used to analyze the DR potential of other chlorine value chains or facilities with high electricity demand in general.BMWi, 0350013A, Verbundvorhaben: ChemEFlex - Umsetzbarkeitsanalyse zur Lastflexibilisierung elektrochemischer Verfahren in der Industrie; Teilvorhaben: Modellierung der Chlor-Alkali-Elektrolyse sowie anderer Prozesse und deren Bewertung hinsichtlich Wirtschaftlichkeit und möglicher Hemmniss

Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics

© 2020, The Author(s). Whole-genome sequencing projects are increasingly populating the tree of life and characterizing biodiversity1–4. Sparse taxon sampling has previously been proposed to confound phylogenetic inference5, and captures only a fraction of the genomic diversity. Here we report a substantial step towards the dense representation of avian phylogenetic and molecular diversity, by analysing 363 genomes from 92.4% of bird families—including 267 newly sequenced genomes produced for phase II of the Bird 10,000 Genomes (B10K) Project. We use this comparative genome dataset in combination with a pipeline that leverages a reference-free whole-genome alignment to identify orthologous regions in greater numbers than has previously been possible and to recognize genomic novelties in particular bird lineages. The densely sampled alignment provides a single-base-pair map of selection, has more than doubled the fraction of bases that are confidently predicted to be under conservation and reveals extensive patterns of weak selection in predominantly non-coding DNA. Our results demonstrate that increasing the diversity of genomes used in comparative studies can reveal more shared and lineage-specific variation, and improve the investigation of genomic characteristics. We anticipate that this genomic resource will offer new perspectives on evolutionary processes in cross-species comparative analyses and assist in efforts to conserve species

Concurrent Oral 1 - Therapy of rheumatic disease: OP4. Effectiveness of Rituximab in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register (BSRBR)

Background: Rituximab (RTX) in combination with methotrexate (MTX) has been licensed since 2006 for the management of severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients who have failed at least one anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy. Published clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of RTX in improving both clinical symptoms and patients' physical function. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of RTX in RA patients treated in routine clinical practice by examining clinical and patient reported outcomes six months after receiving a first course of RTX. Methods: The analysis involved 550 RA patients registered with the BSRBR, who were starting RTX and were followed up for at least 6 months. Change in Disease Activity Score (DAS28) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response were used to assess the clinical response while change in Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score was used to assess the physical function of the patients 6 months after starting RTX. The change in DAS28 and HAQ was compared between seronegative and seropositive patients and anti-TNF naïve patients versus anti-TNF failures. The response was also compared between patients receiving RTX in combination with MTX, other non-biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (nbDMARDs) or no nbDMARDs. Results: The mean (s.d.) age of the cohort was 59 (12) years and 78% of the patients were females. The patients had a mean (s.d.) of 15 (10) years of disease duration. 16% were biologic naïve while 84% were anti-TNF failures. 32% of the patients were seronegative and 68% were seropositive. The mean (95% CI) DAS28 at baseline was 6.2 (6.1, 6.3) which decreased to 4.8 (4.7, 4.9) at 6 months of follow up. 16% were EULAR good responders, 43% were moderate responders and 41% were non responders. The mean (95% CI) change in HAQ was −0.1 (−0.2, −0.1) (Table 1). The mean change in DAS28 was similar in seropositive and seronegative patients (p = 0.18) while the anti-TNF naïve patients showed a greater reduction in DAS28 scores than anti-TNF failures (p = 0.05). Patients receiving RTX in combination with MTX showed similar changes in DAS28 and HAQ compared to patients receiving RTX alone or with other nbDMARDs. Conclusions: RTX has proven to be effective in the routine clinical practice. Anti-TNF naïve patients seem to benefit more from RTX treatment than anti-TNF failures. Disclosure statement: The authors have declared no conflicts of interes

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (November 2018)

In the present article, new records are given for 18 species (6 native, 9 alien and 3 cryptogenic), belonging to 5 Phyla (i.e. Chlorophyta, Cnidaria, Annelida, Mollusca and Chordata), from 8 Mediterranean countries: Spain: A large population of Polycerella emertoni reported from the Ebro Delta, the presence of pinimuricea klavereni is confirmed for the first time in the Catalan coast; Italy: the new record of Cryptonome turcica extends its distribution to the western Mediterranean Sea, the findings of Mawia benovici constitute the southernmost record of this species in the Adriatic Sea; Slovenia: second record of the alien seaslug Cuthona perca in the Mediterranean Sea; Montenegro: Styela plicata communities were recorded in Boka Kotorska Bay; Albania: the native great torpedo ray Tetronarce nobiliana recorded for the first time in Albanian waters; Greece: first record of Lagocephalus sceleratus in the Greek side of the Adriatic, the records of Cassiopea andromeda and Pterois miles are first records of these species from the Ionian Sea, the colonial ascidians Aplidium coeruleum and Didemnum protectum are recorded for the first time in the Eastern Mediterranean, an extremely abundant population of Melibe viridis is found in Messolonghi lagoon, the record of Synchiropus sechellensis is the range expansion of this species in Greek Seas, Acetabularia caliculus is recorded for the first time from Greece; Cyprus: first records of Callionymus filamentosus and Haminoea cyanomarginata from the island; Turkey: the presence of Berthellina citrina in the Mediterranean is confirmed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease