Feed-in Tariffs and Quotas for Renewable Energy in Europe

Regenerative Energie, Elektrizität, Stromtarif, Förderung regenerativer Energien, EU-Staaten, Renewable energy, Electricity, Electricity price, Renewable energy policy, EU countries

Visualizing Business Ecosystems: Applying a Collaborative Modelling Process in Two Case Studies

Business ecosystems are increasingly gaining relevance in research and practice. Because business ecosystems progressively change, enterprises are interested in analysing their ecosystem, to identify and address such changes. In order to gain a comprehensive picture of the business ecosystem, various stakeholders of the enterprise should be involved in the analysis process. We propose a collaborative approach to model and visualize the business ecosystem and we validate four central roles in the modelling process. The process consists of six steps, namely the definition of the business ecosystem focus, instantiation of the model, data collection, provision of tailored visualizations, collecting feedback and adapting the models, and using the visualization ‘to tell a story’. In this paper, we report case studies of two companies that have instantiated ecosystem models

How does sea ice influence δ¹⁸O of Arctic precipitation?

This study investigates how variations in Arctic sea ice and sea surface conditions influence δ18O of present-day Arctic precipitation. This is done using the model isoCAM3, an isotope-equipped version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model version 3. Four sensitivity experiments and one control simulation are performed with prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) and sea ice. Each of the four experiments simulates the atmospheric and isotopic response to Arctic oceanic conditions for selected years after the beginning of the satellite era in 1979. Changes in sea ice extent and SSTs have different impacts in Greenland and the rest of the Arctic. The simulated changes in central Arctic sea ice do not influence δ18O of Greenland precipitation, only anomalies of Baffin Bay sea ice. However, this does not exclude the fact that simulations based on other sea ice and sea surface temperature distributions might yield changes in the δ18O of precipitation in Greenland. For the Arctic, δ18O of precipitation and water vapour is sensitive to local changes in sea ice and sea surface temperature and the changes in water vapour are surface based. Reduced sea ice extent yields more enriched isotope values, whereas increased sea ice extent yields more depleted isotope values. The distribution of the sea ice and sea surface conditions is found to be essential for the spatial distribution of the simulated changes in δ18O

Upgrading glass melting technology by model-based processing

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Does treating proximal cavities in primary molars non-restoratively affect intra-arch space and alignment of successor teeth negatively?:A 4-year longitudinal study

Background: Removing plaque with toothbrush and toothpaste from proximal cavities in primary molars without restoring them follows sound cariological principles. But does this treatment affect space for and alignment of their permanent successors negatively? Hypothesis: There is no difference in impaction and displacement of the premolars, as well as in the D+E space in quadrants with three different statuses of the proximal surface of primary molars over a 4-year period. Methods: A total of 936 quadrants (466 maxillary and 470 mandibular quadrants) in 233 children were assessed. Treatment of cavities in the proximal surfaces of the primary molars consisted of amalgam and ART restorations using high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement, and cleaning of open large- and medium-sized cavities with toothbrush and toothpaste (UCT) under supervision for 220 days per year over 3 years. Dental casts were made at baseline, and after two, three, and 4 years. The D+E spaces were measured digitally. Status of the proximal surface of the primary molars was assessed by two calibrated examiners, and quadrants were grouped into normal anatomy, defective restoration, and proximal cavity. ANCOVA, ANOVA and LSD tests were applied. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between groups (p <= 0.001) and between evaluation times (p < 0.001), for the D+E space in both the maxilla and mandible. A sex difference related to the D+E space in the maxilla was found (p = 0.007). For boys, quadrants in the maxilla of the group ‘proximal cavity’ showed a significant shorter D+E space when compared to quadrants of the group ‘normal anatomy’ at the 3- and 4-year evaluation time. For girls the difference between the two groups was only present at the 3-year evaluation time. There was no significant difference between the D+E space in quadrants with defective restorations and those with normal anatomy in the mandible and in the maxilla. Displacement and impaction of the premolars showed no significant difference between groups. Conclusion: Primary molars with open proximal cavities that are cleaned with toothbrush and toothpaste do not result in displacement and impaction of the successor teeth, neither do primary molars with defective restorations in proximal tooth surfaces

On the importance of the humidity flux for the surface mass balance in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet

It is highly uncertain how the humidity flux between the snow surface and the atmosphere contributes to the surface mass balance (SMB) of the interior Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Due to sparse observations, evaluations of the simulated humidity flux are limited. Model-based estimates of the humidity flux contribution to the SMB are, therefore, unconstrained and even disagree in magnitude and sign. In this study, we evaluate the regional climate model MAR at the EGRIP (East Greenland Ice-Core Project) site in the accumulation zone of the GrIS. We use a combined dataset of continuous one-level bulk estimates of the humidity flux covering the period 05/2016&ndash;08/2019 and direct eddy-covariance humidity flux measurements from all four summer seasons. In summer, we document a bias of too little sublimation (-1.3 W m&minus;2) caused by a cold bias in both air and surface temperature leading to a reduced humidity gradient. In winter, MAR overestimates deposition by about one order of magnitude. This is a consequence of an overestimated temperature gradient in too stable atmospheric conditions compared to observations. Both systematic errors cause a large discrepancy in the annual net humidity flux between the model and observations of -9 mm w. eq. yr&minus;1. Remarkably, the simulated net annual humidity flux contributes positively to the SMB, contrary to observations documenting a net sublimation flux. We correct the systematic errors by applying a simple but effective correction function to the simulated latent heat flux. Using this correction, we find that 5.1 % of the annual mass gain at the EGRIP site sublimates again, and 4.3 % of the total mass gain is deposited vapor from the near-surface air. The estimated net humidity flux contribution to the annual SMB is about -1 % (net sublimation) compared to +5.6 % for the uncorrected simulation. In summer, the corrected MAR simulation shows that deposition accounts for 9.6 % of the total mass gain and that 31 % of the total mass gain at the EGRIP site sublimates again. The net fluxes contribute to -32 % of the summer SMB. These results demonstrate that the humidity flux is a major driver of the summer SMB in the accumulation zone of the GrIS and highlight that even small changes could increase its importance for the annual SMB in a warming climate.</p

Solution structure of the Legionella pneumophila Mip-rapamycin complex

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Legionella pneumphila </it>is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease. A major virulence factor of the pathogen is the homodimeric surface protein Mip. It shows peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase activty and is a receptor of FK506 and rapamycin, which both inhibit its enzymatic function. Insight into the binding process may be used for the design of novel Mip inhibitors as potential drugs against Legionnaires' disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have solved the solution structure of free Mip^77–213and the Mip^77–213-rapamycin complex by NMR spectroscopy. Mip^77–213showed the typical FKBP-fold and only minor rearrangements upon binding of rapamycin. Apart from the configuration of a flexible hairpin loop, which is partly stabilized upon binding, the solution structure confirms the crystal structure. Comparisons to the structures of free FKBP12 and the FKBP12-rapamycin complex suggested an identical binding mode for both proteins.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The structural similarity of the Mip-rapamycin and FKBP12-rapamycin complexes suggests that FKBP12 ligands may be promising starting points for the design of novel Mip inhibitors. The search for a novel drug against Legionnaires' disease may therefore benefit from the large variety of known FKBP12 inhibitors.</p

Influence of water dissolved in the structure of soda-lime-silica glass on melting, forming and properties: state-of-the-art and controversial issues Report of the International Commission on Glass (ICG) Technical Committee 14 "Gases in Glass"

The paper summarizes the information available about the water content of soda-lime-silica glass, the factors that influence it and the influence exerted by water in glass on redox and sulphur retention, on fming, on the melting and forming behaviour, workability and the physical and chemical properties of the melt. Such issues were discussed by the authors in their presentations at the first Forum on Water in Glass, organized in 1997 by Technical Committee 14 (TC 14 "Gases in Glass") of the International Commission on Glass (ICG). The present paper reports the conclusions of the final discussion, highlighting the issues on which consensus was reached (IR spectroscopy is suitable to monitor the water content; the water content of conventionally fired Containers is 300 to 400 ppm and daily oscillations are moderate; water, redox and sulphur interact mutually; water lowers the viscosity; the influence of water content variations on the radiative thermal conductivity is moderate) and the still controversial issues (influence of water and hydroxides in the batch on the final water content; influence of water in the batch and atmosphere on the redox State of the glass; influence of oscillations of OH level on the workability; influence of OH level on ease of forming, product quahty and strength)

The Determination of the Snow Optical Grain Diameter and Snowmelt Area on the Greenland Ice Sheet Using Spaceborne Optical Observations

The optical diameter of the surface snow grains impacts the amount of energy absorbed by the surface and therefore the onset and magnitude of surface melt. Snow grains respond to surface heating through grain metamorphism and growth. During melt, liquid water between the grains markedly increases the optical grain size, as wet snow grain clusters are optically equivalent to large grains. We present daily surface snow grain optical diameters (dopt) retrieved from the Greenland ice sheet at 1 km resolution for 2017–2019 using observations from Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) onboard Sentinel-3A. The retrieved dopt are evaluated against 3 years of in situ measurements in Northeast Greenland. We show that higher dopt are indicative of surface melt as calculated from meteorological measurements at four PROMICE automatic weather stations. We deduce a threshold value of 0.64 mm in dopt allowing categorization of the days either as melting or nonmelting. We apply this simple melt detection technique in Northeast Greenland and compare the derived melting areas with the conventional passive microwave MEaSUREs melt flag for June 2019. The two flags show generally consistent evolution of the melt extent although we highlight areas where large grain diameters are strong indicators of melt but are missed by the MEaSUREs melt flag. While spatial resolution of the optical grain diameter-based melt flag is higher than passive microwave, it is hampered by clouds. Our retrieval remains suitable to study melt at a local to regional scales and could be in the future combined with passive microwave melt flags for increased coveragepublishedVersio