Benefit/cost comparisons of SMES in system-specific application scenarios

The inherently high storage efficiency, instantaneous dispatch capability and multi-function uses of superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) are attributes that give it the potential for widespread application in the electric utility industry. Opportunities appear to exist where SMES at a given location could provide multiple benefits either simultaneously or sequentially as system conditions dictate. These benefits, including diurnal storage and system stability and dynamic control enhancement, increase the application potential of SMES to a larger number of opportunities than might be justified by the value of its diurnal storage capability alone. However, the benefits an individual utility may realize from SMES applications are strongly influenced by the characteristics of the utility system, the location of the SMES unit and the timing of its installation in the system. Such benefits are typically not evaluated adequately in generic studies. This paper summarizes results of case studies performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) with funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The derivation of SMES benefits and costs are described and benefit/cost (B/C) ratios are compared in system-specific scenarios of interest to BPA. Results of using the DYNASTORE production cost model show the sensitivity of B/C ratios to SMES capacity and power and to the forecast system load. Intermediate-size SMES applications which primarily provide system stability and dynamic control enhancement are reviewed. The potential for SMES to levelize the output of a wind energy complex is also assessed. Most of the cases show SMES to provide a positive net benefit with the additional, sometimes surprising indication, that B/C ratios and net present worth of intermediate-size units can exceed those of larger systems

Manipulation des listes d'ordonnancement de processus sur le transputer : une technique sure

SIGLEINIST RP 10149 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Perfusion Imaging and Clinical Outcome in Acute Minor Stroke With Large Vessel Occlusion.

Whether bridging therapy (intravenous thrombolysis [IVT] followed by mechanical thrombectomy) is superior to IVT alone in minor stroke with large vessel occlusion is unknown. Perfusion imaging may identify subsets of large vessel occlusion-related minor stroke patients with distinct response to bridging therapy. We conducted a multicenter international observational study of consecutive IVT-treated patients with minor stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤5) who had an anterior circulation large vessel occlusion and perfusion imaging performed before IVT, with a subset undergoing immediate thrombectomy. Propensity score with inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to account for baseline between-groups differences. The primary outcome was 3-month modified Rankin Scale score 0 to 1. We searched for an interaction between treatment group and mismatch volume (critical hypoperfusion-core volume). Overall, 569 patients were included (172 and 397 in the bridging therapy and IVT groups, respectively). After propensity-score weighting, the distribution of baseline variables was similar across the 2 groups. In the entire population, bridging was associated with lower odds of achieving modified Rankin Scale score 0 to 1: odds ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.55-0.96]; P=0.03. However, mismatch volume modified the effect of bridging on clinical outcome (P <sub>interaction</sub> =0.04 for continuous mismatch volume); bridging was associated with worse outcome in patients with, but not in those without, mismatch volume <40 mL (odds ratio, [95% CI] for modified Rankin Scale score 0-1: 0.48 [0.33-0.71] versus 1.14 [0.76-1.71], respectively). Bridging was associated with higher incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in the entire population, but this effect was present in the small mismatch subset only (P <sub>interaction</sub> =0.002). In our population of large vessel occlusion-related minor stroke patients, bridging therapy was associated with lower rates of good outcome as compared with IVT alone. However, mismatch volume was a strong modifier of the effect of bridging therapy over IVT alone, notably with worse outcome with bridging therapy in patients with mismatch volume ≤40 mL. Randomized trials should consider adding perfusion imaging for patient selection

Controlled expression of recombinant proteins in Physcomitrella patens by a conditional heat-shock promoter: a tool for plant research and biotechnology.

The ability to express tightly controlled amounts of endogenous and recombinant proteins in plant cells is an essential tool for research and biotechnology. Here, the inducibility of the soybean heat-shock Gmhsp17.3B promoter was addressed in the moss Physcomitrella patens, using beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and an F-actin marker (GFP-talin) as reporter proteins. In stably transformed moss lines, Gmhsp17.3B-driven GUS expression was extremely low at 25 degrees C. In contrast, a short non-damaging heat-treatment at 38 degrees C rapidly induced reporter expression over three orders of magnitude, enabling GUS accumulation and the labelling of F-actin cytoskeleton in all cell types and tissues. Induction levels were tightly proportional to the temperature and duration of the heat treatment, allowing fine-tuning of protein expression. Repeated heating/cooling cycles led to the massive GUS accumulation, up to 2.3% of the total soluble proteins. The anti-inflammatory drug acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) and the membrane-fluidiser benzyl alcohol (BA) also induced GUS expression at 25 degrees C, allowing the production of recombinant proteins without heat-treatment. The Gmhsp17.3B promoter thus provides a reliable versatile conditional promoter for the controlled expression of recombinant proteins in the moss P. patens