Estimation of Source- and Quality-Differentiated Import Demand Under Aggregate Import Quota: An Application to Japan's Wheat

International Relations/Trade,

How Virtual Powers Plants Can Advance Electrification and Mitigate Infrastructure Needs As We Race to Meet Our Climate Challenges

This paper explores three contemporary case studies of how distributed energy resources have been aggregated into Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) to provide resilient, low carbon solutions for our climate challenge in a manner that can mitigate demands on our energy infrastructure. These recent case studies will analyze distributed energy resources and how they can be aggregated to participate in wholesale electric markets to reduce the demand for larger utility scale resources while also providing grid services locally. These case studies build on previous research on distributed energy resources we have performed at our Institute for Energy and the Environment. The cases will consider how Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”) Orders 841 and 2222 will help remove the barriers to effective participation in regional markets and explore the remaining conflicts with overlapping state and federal jurisdiction. We will conclude with lessons learned to promote the growth of VPPs in a manner that enhances electrification and promotes resilience as we transition to a low carbon future

Next generation sequencing of exceptional responders with BRAF-mutant melanoma: implications for sensitivity and resistance.

BackgroundPatients with BRAF mutation-positive advanced melanoma respond well to matched therapy with BRAF or MEK inhibitors, but often quickly develop resistance.MethodsTumor tissue from ten patients with advanced BRAF mutation-positive melanoma who achieved partial response (PR) or complete response (CR) on BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors was analyzed using next generation sequencing (NGS) assay. Genomic libraries were captured for 3230 exons in 182 cancer-related genes plus 37 introns from 14 genes often rearranged in cancer and sequenced to average median depth of 734X with 99% of bases covered >100X.ResultsThree of the ten patients (median number of prior therapies = 2) attained prolonged CR (duration = 23.6+ to 28.7+ months); seven patients achieved either a PR or a short-lived CR. One patient who achieved CR ongoing at 28.7+ months and had tissue available close to the time of initiating BRAF inhibitor therapy had only a BRAF mutation. Abnormalities in addition to BRAF mutation found in other patients included: mutations in NRAS, APC and NF1; amplifications in BRAF, aurora kinase A, MYC, MITF and MET; deletions in CDKN2A/B and PAX5; and, alterations in RB1 and ATM. Heterogeneity between patients and molecular evolution within patients was noted.ConclusionNGS identified potentially actionable DNA alterations that could account for resistance in patients with BRAF mutation-positive advanced melanoma who achieved a PR or CR but whose tumors later progressed. A subset of patients with advanced melanoma may harbor only a BRAF mutation and achieve a durable CR on BRAF pathway inhibitors

The dynamic emergence of cooperative norms in a social dilemma

This paper addresses the formation of social norms of cooperation through interaction in repeated Public Goods Games, using novel multilevel techniques. Cooperation has traditionally been understood as the interplay of static factors such as shared social identity and pre-existing norms. This study investigates the dynamic emergence of cooperative norms in the presence or absence of social categorization. A small effect of categorization was found: Categorization helps initiate and maintain higher levels of cooperation. However, the differences in emergent cooperation between small groups were much stronger than the differences between the Categorization and Non-Categorization conditions. Using explorative analyses, three distinct classes of groups were found. Within groups, group members follow nearly identical rules for their choice of cooperative behavior. We argue that individual behavior converged because of the social interactions within these groups. Overall, the development of cooperation is best predicted by the process of norm formation that occurs when social identities emerge.</p

Making ARPES Measurements on Corrugated Monolayer Crystals: Suspended Exfoliated Single-Crystal Graphene

Free-standing exfoliated monolayer graphene is an ultra-thin flexible membrane, which exhibits out of plane deformation or corrugation. In this paper, a technique is described to measure the band structure of such free-standing graphene by angle-resolved photoemission. Our results show that photoelectron coherence is limited by the crystal corrugation. However, by combining surface morphology measurements of the graphene roughness with angle-resolved photoemission, energy dependent quasiparticle lifetime and bandstructure measurements can be extracted. Our measurements rely on our development of an analytical formulation for relating the crystal corrugation to the photoemission linewidth. Our ARPES measurements show that, despite significant deviation from planarity of the crystal, the electronic structure of exfoliated suspended graphene is nearly that of ideal, undoped graphene; we measure the Dirac point to be within 25 meV of $E_F$ . Further, we show that suspended graphene behaves as a marginal Fermi-liquid, with a quasiparticle lifetime which scales as $(E - E_F)^{-1}$; comparison with other graphene and graphite data is discussed

IN-SYNC. V. Stellar kinematics and dynamics in the Orion A Molecular Cloud

The kinematics and dynamics of young stellar populations enable us to test theories of star formation. With this aim, we continue our analysis of the SDSS-III/APOGEE IN-SYNC survey, a high resolution near infrared spectroscopic survey of young clusters. We focus on the Orion A star-forming region, for which IN-SYNC obtained spectra of $\sim2700$ stars. In Paper IV we used these data to study the young stellar population. Here we study the kinematic properties through radial velocities ($v_r$). The young stellar population remains kinematically associated with the molecular gas, following a $\sim10\:{\rm{km\:s}}^{-1}$ gradient along filament. However, near the center of the region, the $v_r$ distribution is slightly blueshifted and asymmetric; we suggest that this population, which is older, is slightly in foreground. We find evidence for kinematic subclustering, detecting statistically significant groupings of co-located stars with coherent motions. These are mostly in the lower-density regions of the cloud, while the ONC radial velocities are smoothly distributed, consistent with it being an older, more dynamically evolved cluster. The velocity dispersion $\sigma_v$ varies along the filament. The ONC appears virialized, or just slightly supervirial, consistent with an old dynamical age. Here there is also some evidence for on-going expansion, from a $v_r$--extinction correlation. In the southern filament, $\sigma_v$ is $\sim2$--$3$ times larger than virial in the L1641N region, where we infer a superposition along the line of sight of stellar sub-populations, detached from the gas. On the contrary, $\sigma_v$ decreases towards L1641S, where the population is again in agreement with a virial state.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, ApJ accepte