Structures of Loyalty: A Comparative Study of Jewish and Palestinian Evangelicals\u27 Acquiescence to Fundamentalist and Authoritarian Values

This is a qualitative comparative study of two evangelical movements in Israel and in the West Bank: the Israeli Messianic (IM) movement and the Palestinian Evangelical (PE) movement. Through interviews on how informants understand the Middle Eastern conflict, our aim is (1) to compare the prevalence of fundamentalist/authoritarian (F/A) values in the IM and PE movements and (2) to understand how a particular socio-political context —Israel and the West Bank—might affect the acquiescence to a F/A mindset amongst the two movements. To accomplish this, we created a F/A construct that measures five values: literalism, social withdrawal, authoritarian aggression, authoritarian submission, and conventionalism. We found that the IM scores higher on all five F/A values. To explain the difference, we point out the importance of structures of loyalty: the difference in how IMs and PEs connect to key societal groups affects the way they acquiesce to fundamentalist and authoritarian values

Exploring the competition between variable renewable electricity and a carbon-neutral baseload technology

In this paper we explore the competition between variable renewable energy sources (VRE) and a carbon-neutral baseload technology in the transition to a low-carbon power system. We study a stylized system subject to a gradually increasing carbon tax using an agent-based model where agents are power companies investing in new capacity. The agents make predictions of the profitability of different investment options. Five electricity generating technologies are available in the model: coal, gas, wind, solar PV and a more expensive carbon-neutral baseload technology. We compare the output from our model with a corresponding optimization model. We present two main findings: (1)\ua0installed capacity of VRE initially increases with a carbon tax. However, once the carbon tax has reached a certain level the installed capacity of VRE starts to decline due to competition with the stylized carbon-neutral baseload technology. (2)\ua0With limited foresight we find that the model underinvests (first 25 years) in wind and then overinvests in wind compared to the optimal solution. The reasons for these dynamic phenomena are explained and an extensive sensitivity analysis is carried out

Simultaneous scheduling of preventive system maintenance and of the maintenance workshop

While a system operates, its components deteriorate and in order for the system to remain operational, maintenance of its components is required. Preventive maintenance (PM) is performed so that component failure is avoided. This research aims at scheduling PM activities for a multi-component system within a finite horizon. The system to be maintained possesses positive economic dependencies, meaning that each time any component maintenance activity is performed, a common set-up cost is generated. Each component PM activity generates a cost, including replacement, service, and spare parts costs. We start from a 0-1 mixed integer linear optimization model of the PM scheduling problem with interval costs, which is to schedule PM of the components of a system over a finite and discretized time horizon, given common set-up costs and component costs, of which the latter vary with the maintenance interval. We extend the PMSPIC model to incorporate the flow of components through the maintenance/repair workshop, including stocks of spare components, both the components that require repair and the repaired ones. Our resulting model is a tight integration of the PM and the maintenance workshop scheduling. We investigate two different contract types between stakeholders, present and analyze preliminary numerical results obtained

Simultaneous scheduling of replacement and repair of common components in operating systems. A multi-objective mathematical optimization model

In order for a system to stay operational, its components need maintenance. We consider two stakeholders-a system operator and a maintenance workshop-and a contract governing their joint activities. Components in the operating systems that are to be maintained are sent to the maintenance workshop, which should perform all maintenance activities on time in order to satisfy the contract. The maintained components are then sent back to be used in the operating systems. Our modeling of this system-of-systems includes stocks of damaged and repaired components, the workshop scheduling, and the planning of preventive maintenance for the operating systems. Our modeling is based on a mixed-binary linear optimization (MBLP) model of a preventive maintenance scheduling problem with so-called interval costs over a finite and discretized time horizon. We generalize and extend this model with the flow of components through the workshop, including the stocks of spare components. The resulting scheduling model-a mixed-integer optimization (MILP) model-is then utilized to optimize the main contract in a bi-objective setting: maximizing the availability of repaired (or new) components and minimizing the costs of maintaining the operating systems over the time horizon. We analyze the main contract and briefly discuss a turn-around time contract. Our results concern the effect of our modeling on the levels of the stocks of components over time, in particular minimizing the risk for lack of spare components

An automatic method for optimizing Venturi shape in cavitation flows

In order to lower the energy consumption of the fibrillation stage for the pulp and paper industry, a new technology need to be innovated and developed. The current research work deals with a new innovative concept based on creating cavitation in the pulp flow. A venturi nozzle is designed and optimized, where hydrodynamic cavitation is achieved by the so called Venturi effect. This paper focuses on the development of an automatic method for venturi shape optimization. The process of cavitation is hard to control and can cause high mechanical wear, therefore an optimization study of the venturi shape is performed with two main objectives. Firstly, to achieve cavitation that is sustained for as long as possible downstream and secondly to avoid cavitation at the walls. The developed method is a type of two-level optimization based on neural networks and evolutionary optimization. A number of simulations are executed and the optimization is then performed on a solver approximation instead of the real solver, which considerably reduces computation time. The obtained results show the optimal venturi configuration and the relative importance of each shape parameter. The optimal configuration is a clear improvement of the baseline configuration and an improvement also compared to all of the tested samples, thereby validating the optimization method

Health-related quality of life across all stages of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Background. A limited number of studies have assessed health related quality of life (HRQoL) in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Results to date have been conflicting and studies have generally focused on patients with later stages of the disease. This study aimed to assess HRQoL in ADPKD across all stages of the disease, from patients with early chronic kidney disease (CKD) to patients with end-stage renal disease. Methods. A study involving cross-sectional patient-reported outcomes and retrospective clinical data was undertaken April December 2014 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Patients were enrolled into four mutually exclusive stages of the disease: CKD stages 1-3; CKD stages 4-5; transplant recipients; and dialysis patients. Results. Overall HRQoL was generally highest in patients with CKD stages 1-3, followed by transplant recipients, patients with CKD stages 4-5 and patients on dialysis. Progressive disease predominately had an impact on physical health, whereas mental health showed less variation between stages of the disease. A substantial loss in quality of life was observed as patients progressed to CKD stages 4-5. Conclusions. Later stages of ADPKD are associated with reduced physical health. The value of early treatment interventions that can delay progression of the disease should be considered.Peer reviewe

Real-world costs of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in the Nordics

Background: There is limited real-world data on the economic burden of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The objective of this study was to estimate the annual direct and indirect costs of patients with ADPKD by severity of the disease: chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-3; CKD stages 4-5; transplant recipients; and maintenance dialysis patients. Methods: A retrospective study of ADPKD patients was undertaken April-December 2014 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Data on medical resource utilisation were extracted from medical charts and patients were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 266 patients were contacted, 243 (91%) of whom provided consent to participate in the study. Results showed that the economic burden of ADPKD was substantial at all levels of the disease. Lost wages due to reduced productivity were large in absolute terms across all disease strata. Mean total annual costs were highest in dialysis patients, driven by maintenance dialysis care, while the use of immunosuppressants was the main cost component for transplant care. Costs were twice as high in patients with CKD stages 4-5 compared to CKD stages 1-3. Conclusions: Costs associated with ADPKD are significant and the progression of the disease is associated with an increased frequency and intensity of medical resource utilisation. Interventions that can slow the progression of the disease have the potential to lead to substantial reductions in costs for the treatment of ADPKD.Peer reviewe