Evaluation of a proposal for reliable low-cost grid power with 100% wind, water, and solar

A number of analyses, meta-Analyses, and assessments, including those performed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the International Energy Agency, have concluded that deployment of a diverse portfolio of clean energy technologies makes a transition to a low-carbon-emission energy system both more feasible and less costly than other pathways. In contrast, Jacobson et al. [Jacobson MZ, Delucchi MA, Cameron MA, Frew BA (2015) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112(49):15060-15065] argue that it is feasible to provide low-cost solutions to the grid reliability problem with 100% penetration of WWS [wind, water and solar power] across all energy sectors in the continental United States between 2050 and 2055 , with only electricity and hydrogen as energy carriers. In this paper, we evaluate that study and find significant shortcomings in the analysis. In particular, we point out that this work used invalid modeling tools, contained modeling errors, and made implausible and inadequately supported assumptions. Policy makers should treat with caution any visions of a rapid, reliable, and low-cost transition to entire energy systems that relies almost exclusively on wind, solar, and hydroelectric power

Planetary Dynamics and Habitable Planet Formation In Binary Star Systems

Whether binaries can harbor potentially habitable planets depends on several factors including the physical properties and the orbital characteristics of the binary system. While the former determines the location of the habitable zone (HZ), the latter affects the dynamics of the material from which terrestrial planets are formed (i.e., planetesimals and planetary embryos), and drives the final architecture of the planets assembly. In order for a habitable planet to form in a binary star system, these two factors have to work in harmony. That is, the orbital dynamics of the two stars and their interactions with the planet-forming material have to allow terrestrial planet formation in the habitable zone, and ensure that the orbit of a potentially habitable planet will be stable for long times. We have organized this chapter with the same order in mind. We begin by presenting a general discussion on the motion of planets in binary stars and their stability. We then discuss the stability of terrestrial planets, and the formation of potentially habitable planets in a binary-planetary system.Comment: 56 pages, 29 figures, chapter to appear in the book: Planets in Binary Star Systems (Ed. N. Haghighipour, Springer publishing company

The Kidneys and Aldosterone/Mineralocorticoid Receptor System in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension

Strong evidence supports the ability of the aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) system to dominate long-term blood pressure control. It is also increasingly recognized as an important mediator of cardiovascular and renal diseases, particularly in the presence of excessive salt intake. In a subgroup of individuals with metabolic syndrome, adipocyte-derived aldosterone-releasing factors cause inappropriate secretion of aldosterone in the adrenal glands during salt loading, resulting in the development of salt-induced hypertension and cardiac and renal damage. On the other hand, emerging data reveal that aldosterone is not a sole regulator of MR activity. We have identified the signaling crosstalk between MR and small GTPase Rac1 as a novel pathway to facilitate MR signaling. Such a local control system for MR can also be relevant to the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension, and future studies will clarify the detailed mechanism for the intricate regulation of the aldosterone/MR cascade

The Production and Qualification of Scintillator Tiles for the ATLAS Hadronic Calorimeter

The production of the scintillator tiles for the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter is presented. In addition to the manufacture and production, the properties of the tiles will be presented including light yield, uniformity and stability

The Optical Instrumentation of the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter

The purpose of this Note is to describe the optical assembly procedure called here Optical Instrumentation and the quality tests conducted on the assembled units. Altogether, 65 Barrel (or LB) modules were constructed - including one spare - together with 129 Extended Barrel (EB) modules (including one spare). The LB modules were mechanically assembled at JINR (Dubna, Russia) and transported to CERN, where the optical instrumentation was performed with personnel contributed by several Institutes. The modules composing one of the two Extended Barrels (known as EBA) were mechanically assembled in the USA, and instrumented in two US locations (ANL, U. of Michigan), while the modules of the other Extended barrel (EBC) were assembled in Spain and instrumented at IFAE (Barcelona). Each of the EB modules includes a subassembly known as ITC that contributes to the hermeticity of the calorimeter; all ITCs were assembled at UTA (Texas), and mounted onto the module mechanical structures at the EB mechanical assembly locations.The Tile Calorimeter, covering the central region of the ATLAS experiment up to pseudorapidities of ±1.7, is a sampling device built with scintillating tiles that alternate with iron plates. The light is collected in wave-length shifting (WLS) fibers and is read out with photomultipliers. In the characteristic geometry of this calorimeter the tiles lie in planes perpendicular to the beams, resulting in a very simple and modular mechanical and optical layout. This paper focuses on the procedures applied in the optical instrumentation of the calorimeter, which involved the assembly of about 460,000 scintillator tiles and 550,000 WLS fibers. The outcome is a hadronic calorimeter that meets the ATLAS performance requirements, as shown in this paper

Referenzierung von open4Dnav: ein open-source 3D-Navigationssystem für FESS

Einleitung: Kommerzielle 3D-Navigationssysteme sind nicht detailliert für klinische Benutzer im Detail zugänglich. Deshalb wurde an unserer Klinik ein open4Dnav, ein open-source 3D-Navigationssystem speziell für die Anwendung in der NNH Chirurgie und zur Anpassung an die individuellen Bedürfnisse von Chirurgen, entwickelt. Methoden: Open4Dnav ist plattformunabhängig, und läuft unter Linux. Es besteht im wesentlichen aus einem Standardrechner (Linux) und Standardbibliotheken (IGSTK, ITK, VTK und FLTK) und einem NDI Polaris 3D-Digitizer der ersten Generation.CT-Datensätze aus dem hauseigenen PACS werden via DICOM eingelesen. Registrierungen wurden an einem Plastikschädel, einem Kadaver und einem Freiwilligen durchgeführt. Es wurden Messreihen mit 3, 5, 7 und 9 Registrierungspunkten mit je 10 Registrierungen durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: Die gemittelte Anwendungsgenauigkeit für 3, 5, 7 und 9 Punkte am Plastikschädel ergab sich als 0,37, 0,56, 0,55 und 0,45 mm ist submillimetrisch. Die Standardabweichungen sind 0,92, 0,70, 0,72 und 0,69 mm. FRE ergab sich als -0,037, -0,119 , -0,037 und -0,019 mm,Standardabweichungen 0,42, 0,46 und 0,49 mm. Am Kadaver ergaben sich -0,12, 0,27, 0,02 und -0,10 mm (TRE) und 0,67, 0,64, 0,68 und 0,70 mm (Standardabweichungen); FRE als -0,01, -0,05, -0,03 und -0,09 mm mit 0,59, 0,47, 0,52 und 0,59 mm Standardabweichungen.Generell waren die Ergebnisse bei Verwendung von Markern besser. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass mit open4Dnav bereits mit sehr wenigen Registrationspunkten gute Ergebnisse erzielbar sind und Potenzial als Laborsystem und als präzises System für intraoperative Anwendung am Patienten hat. Danksagung: Dieses Projekt wird vom Österreichischen Wissenschaftsfonds (FWF) unter Projekt 20604-B13 gefördert

Scientific, technical and organizational aspects of the spent fuel removal from nuclear research reactor of Institute for Nuclear Research, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Supporting the global threat reduction initiative (GTRI) Ukraine has implemented the removal of the major part of HEU spent nuclear fuel from the WWR-M research reactor of Institute for nuclear research of NAS of Ukraine to Russian Federation for further processing in "MAYAK" company