China's wind industry: leading in deployment, lagging in innovation

China's massive carbon emissions and air pollution concerns have led its government to embrace clean energy innovation as a means of transitioning to a more sustainable energy system. We address the question of whether China's wind industry has become an important source of clean energy technology innovation. We find that in terms of wind capacity expansion, China has delivered enormous progress, increasing its wind capacity from virtually no wind capacity in the early 2000s to 140 GW by 2015. However, in terms of innovation and cost competitiveness, the outcomes were more limited: Chinese wind turbine manufacturers have secured few international patents and achieved moderate learning rates compared to the global industry's historical learning rate. Leading China-based indigenous producers are likely to remain important global players for the foreseeable future, but further progress in reducing the cost of capital equipment may slow relative to the recent past. However, opportunities in lowering curtailment rates and improving turbine quality can reduce China's overall levelized cost of electricity for wind.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

China's wind electricity and cost of carbon mitigation are more expensive than anticipated

The success of China's transition to a low-carbon energy system will be key to achieve the global level of emissions reductions needed to avoid large negative consequences from climate change. China is undergoing an impressive build up of renewable capacity, in particular wind. Using data from the Clean Mechanism Development project database between 2004 and 2012, this study shows that while China made progress in bringing down the levelized cost of wind electricity and cost of carbon mitigation (CCM), serious grid-connection issues and high wind curtailment rates resulted in a levelized cost of wind electricity that is one-half to two times higher than expected, and a CCM that is four to six times higher. Sharp drop in electricity demand, utilization rate, and coal prices in recent years may lead to even higher results.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Circular economyeast: saccharomyces cerevisiae as a sustainable source of glucans and its safety for skincare application

Glucans, a polysaccharide naturally present in the yeast cell wall that can be obtained from side streams generated during the fermentation process, have gained increasing attention for their potential as a skin ingredient. Therefore, this study focused on the extraction method to isolate and purify water-insoluble glucans from two different Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains: an engineered strain obtained from spent yeast in an industrial fermentation process and a wild strain produced through lab-scale fermentation. Two water-insoluble extracts with a high glucose content (> 90 %) were achieved and further subjected to a chemical modification using carboxymethylation to improve their water solubility. All the glucans' extracts, water-insoluble and carboxymethylated, were structurally and chemically characterized, showing almost no differences between both yeast-type strains. To ensure their safety for skin application, a broad safety assessment was undertaken, and no cytotoxic effect, immunomodulatory capacity (IL-6 and IL-8 regulation), genotoxicity, skin sensitization, and impact on the skin microbiota were observed. These findings highlight the potential of glucans derived from spent yeast as a sustainable and safe ingredient for cosmetic and skincare formulations, contributing to the sustainability and circular economy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cannabidiol and cannabigerol exert antimicrobial activity without compromising skin microbiota

Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) are two pharmacologically active phytocannabinoids of Cannabis sativa L. Their antimicrobial activity needs further elucidation, particularly for CBG, as reports on this cannabinoid are scarce. We investigated CBD and CBG’s antimicrobial potential, including their ability to inhibit the formation and cause the removal of biofilms. Our results demonstrate that both molecules present activity against planktonic bacteria and biofilms, with both cannabinoids removing mature biofilms at concentrations below the determined minimum inhibitory concentrations. We report for the first time minimum inhibitory and lethal concentrations for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli (ranging from 400 to 3180 µM), as well as the ability of cannabinoids to inhibit Staphylococci adhesion to keratinocytes, with CBG demonstrating higher activity than CBD. The value of these molecules as preservative ingredients for cosmetics was also assayed, with CBG meeting the USP 51 challenge test criteria for antimicrobial effectiveness. Further, the exact formulation showed no negative impact on skin microbiota. Our results suggest that phytocannabinoids can be promising topical antimicrobial agents when searching for novel therapeutic candidates for different skin conditions. Additional research is needed to clarify phytocannabinoids’ mechanisms of action, aiming to develop practical applications in dermatological use.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chaves thermal spring water impact on skin health: potential cosmetic application

Since ancient times, thermal spring water has been proven to be beneficial to the skin and to improving dermatologic disorders, explaining its incorporation into cosmetic formulations as an active ingredient. Chaves thermal spring water, from northern Portugal, has been used as a local spa since Roman times, and its customers are satisfied with its medicinal quality. Despite the lack of published evidence on its specific effects on the skin, this study evaluates the potential of using Chaves thermal water as a cosmetic ingredient. The physiochemical composition demonstrated that Chaves thermal spring water is low-mineralized water, and its major components are sodium, potassium, silicon, and calcium. In vitro experiments demonstrated that this low mineralization might explain the absence of antioxidant and antiaging potential, and the maintenance of collagen and fibronectin levels. The quantification of the IL-6 levels showed that Chaves thermal spring water could be used as an anti-inflammatory product, suggesting its use by individuals with skin diseases. In agreement with this result, in vivo experiments revealed that Chaves thermal spring water improved the integrity of the skin barrier and preserved the skin microbial community. Overall, the present work suggests that Chaves thermal spring water might be used as a cosmetic product.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Consumers' perceptions of energy use and energy savings: A literature review

Background. Policy makers and program managers need to better understand consumers' perceptions of their energy use and savings to design effective strategies for promoting energy savings. Methods. We reviewed 14 studies from the emerging interdisciplinary literature examining consumers' perceptions electricity use by specific appliances, and potential savings. Results. We find that: (1) electricity use is often overestimated for low-energy consuming appliances, and underestimated for high-energy consuming appliances; (2) curtailment strategies are typically preferred over energy efficiency strategies; (3) consumers lack information about how much electricity can be saved through specific strategies; (4) consumers use heuristics for assessing the electricity use of specific appliances, with some indication that more accurate judgments are made among consumers with higher numeracy and stronger pro-environmental attitudes. However, design differences between studies, such as variations in reference points, reporting units and assessed time periods, may affect consumers' reported perceptions. Moreover, studies differ with regard to whether accuracy of perceptions was evaluated through comparisons with general estimates of actual use, self-reported use, household-level meter readings, or real-time smart meter readings. Conclusion. Although emerging findings are promising, systematic variations in the measurement of perceived and actual electricity use are potential cause for concern. We propose avenues for future research, so as to better understand, and possibly inform, consumers' perceptions of their electricity use. Ultimately, this literature will have implications for the design of effective electricity feedback for consumers, and related policies

Portuguese recommendations for the use of biological and targeted synthetic diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis – 2020 update

Objective: To update the recommendations for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs and tsDMARDs), endorsed by the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology (SPR). Methods: These treatment recommendations were formulated by Portuguese rheumatologists taking into account previous recommendations, new literature evidence and consensus opinion. At a national meeting, in a virtual format, three of the ten previous recommendations were re-addressed and discussed after a more focused literature review. A first draft of the updated recommendations was elaborated by a team of SPR rheumatologists from the SPR rheumatoid arthritis study group, GEAR. The resulting document circulated among all SPR rheumatologists for discussion and input. The level of agreement with each of all the recommendations was anonymously voted online by all SPR rheumatologists. Results: These recommendations cover general aspects such as shared decision, treatment objectives, systematic assessment of disease activity and burden and its registry in Reuma.pt. Consensus was also achieved regarding specific aspects such as initiation of bDMARDs and tsDMARDs, assessment of treatment response, switching and definition of persistent remission. Conclusion: These recommendations may be used for guidance of treatment with bDMARDs and tsDMARDs in patients with RA. As more evidence becomes available and more therapies are licensed, these recommendations will be updated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio