Limiting peaks in the electricity grid. Experiences from the Norwegian market

Electrification leads to a need for more grid capacity, and at the same time, the grid is underutilized. High demand occurs only during short periods. To reduce these high peaks, utility companies have implemented a new network tariff to incentivize consumers to even out their energy demand throughout the day and shift their demand from peak to off-peak hours. Using hourly meter readings, survey-, weather- and spot price data, we analyze the effect of a new tariff on households’ peak demand. We investigate the causal relationship between peak-pricing and each household’s peak demand using a two-way fixed effects model. We further explore the effects of Time-of-Use tariffs by doing a descriptive analysis. We find that households have reduced their daily peak demand by ~2% after implementing the new network tariff. The households with more occupants, more electric vehicles, or high income are among the groups that have responded the strongest. Our descriptive analysis of Time-of-Use shows a shift from peak- to off-peak hours due to this policy. While the results show a clear response to both the peak-pricing and Time-of-Use components in the tariff, the tariff is insufficient to reach the policy’s goal. We suggest shifting more focus to the Time-of-Use component

Limiting peaks in the electricity grid. Experiences from the Norwegian market.

Electrification leads to a need for more grid capacity, and at the same time, the grid is underutilized. High demand occurs only during short periods. To reduce these high peaks, utility companies have implemented a new network tariff to incentivize consumers to even out their energy demand throughout the day and shift their demand from peak to off-peak hours. Using hourly meter readings, survey-, weather- and spot price data, we analyze the effect of a new tariff on households’ peak demand. We investigate the causal relationship between peakpricing and each household’s peak demand using a two-way fixed effects model. We further explore the effects of Time-of-Use tariffs by doing a descriptive analysis. We find that households have reduced their daily peak demand by ~2% after implementing the new network tariff. The households with more occupants, more electric vehicles, or high income are among the groups that have responded the strongest. Our descriptive analysis of Time-of-Use shows a shift from peak- to off-peak hours due to this policy. While the results show a clear response to both the peak-pricing and Time-of-Use components in the tariff, the tariff is insufficient to reach the policy’s goal. We suggest shifting more focus to the Time-of-Use component

Relations among corporate governance, codes of conduct, and the profitability of public utilities: an empirical study of companies on the Italian Stock Exchange

This research examines the relationship between corporate governance and corporate performance through the findings of an empirical longitudinal investigation of public utilities listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (2000 -2008). The data for the measurement of the corporate governance variables are taken from the latest edition of the Italian Preda Code of Best Governance Practices (2006). Standard ratios (Return on Assets, Return on Equity, Return on Sales, Tobin’s Q and Book to Market Ratio) were used to assess the performance variables. The results are not conclusive. Specifically, whereas most relationships with the performance variables were statistically significant, different relationships were found between the same corporate governance variables and different indicators of performance. These ‘conflicting’ findings suggest that further research is needed for the impact of corporate governance practices on the performance of firms to be fully understood

Key Performance Indicators for Sustainable Urban Development: Case Study Approach

Abstract Built environment energy efficiency improvement at the urban scale plays a key role to reduce the detrimental environmental impacts. However, the design and implementation of sustainable development scenarios is a complex process involving a large number of decision criteria and actors. An on-going Interreg project, "CesbaMED", emphasizes to employ a common sustainability assessment framework at the urban scale, which is a set of eight regional assessment tools, named CESBA MED SNTool. This tool is an innovative decision-making process, which supports the development of energy efficiency plans for building stock in the context of their surrounding neighbourhoods. Moreover, this tool produces the MED Passport, which compares the sustainability performances of buildings and neighbourhoods. This study aims at presenting the on-going research activities with a specific focus on the selection of the set of relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) among the indicators of CesbaMED project for the case study of the city of Turin (Italy), based on stakeholders' preferences. A workshop was organized to select the criteria and to assign the stakeholders' preferences using the "Delphi" survey method. This method is used in order to investigate the stakeholders' perspectives on the impact of each indicator on the different future sustainable scenarios. The results show that the stakeholders decided to remove and modify some KPIs for the specific case study of Turin with respect to its particularities

Domestic refrigerator temperatures in Spain: Assessment of its impact on the safety and shelf-life of cooked meat products

Temperature is one of the main factors governing the growth of microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to provide temperature conditions representative of the food products stored in domestic refrigerators and to assess the impact of the temperature (fluctuation) on the shelf-life of refrigerated cooked meat products, from the safety and the spoilage point of view. The analysis of the time-temperature profiles recorded from 160 domestic refrigerators of households from small (28%) and large (72%) municipalities in Catalonia (Spain) showed that the 24 h-registers mean temperature could be described by a normal distribution (mean = 5.4 °C, standard deviation = 2.3 °C) with a mean value within the upper limit of the appropriate storage temperature of refrigerated products (i.e. ≤6 °C). The impact of door openings or day and night was not significant. Temperature distribution showed differences depending on the season, being higher in the cold season than in the warm one. Noteworthy, refrigerators of elderly (≥ 65 years old) household showed a higher percentage of time at temperatures >8 °C in comparison with those of the general population. Overall, the 75th percentile of the distribution of the 24 h-mean temperature values was 6.7 °C. This study can be used as a scientific evidence of the consumer storage stage when food business operators or laboratories conduct shelf-life studies. According to the simulation of the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and lactic acid bacteria in cooked meat products, risk scenarios were identified in which the critical level of the pathogen could be reached before lactic acid bacteria achieved the spoilage level. The fluctuation of the refrigerator temperature ranged from 0.5 up to 12.2 °C within the 24 h-profile. The assessment of the safety of cooked meat products stored at constant temperature or under different time-temperature profiles showed that both the mean and the fluctuation of the profile had an impact on the shelf-life, which was higher at low temperatures. The improvement of the household refrigerated storage would be an effective way to increase food safety of refrigerated ready-to-eat food.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Real-time detection of riboflavin production by Lactobacillus plantarum strains and tracking of their gastrointestinal survival and functionality in vitro and in vivo using mCherry labeling

Some strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce riboflavin, a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex, essential for human beings. Here, we have evaluated riboflavin (B2 vitamin) production by five Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from chicha, a traditional maize-based fermented alcoholic beverage from north-western Argentina and their isogenic riboflavin-overproducing derivatives previously selected using roseoflavin. A direct fluorescence spectroscopic detection method to quantify riboflavin production in bacterial culture supernatants has been tested. Comparison of the efficiency for riboflavin fluorescence quantification with and without prior HPLC fractionation showed that the developed method is a rapid and easy test for selection of B2 vitamin-producing strains. In addition, it can be used for quantitative detection of the vitamin production in real time during bacterial growth. On the basis of this and previous analyses, the L. plantarum M5MA1-B2 riboflavin overproducer was selected for in vitro and in vivo studies after being fluorescently labeled by transfer of the pRCR12 plasmid, which encodes the mCherry protein. The labeling did not affect negatively the growth, the riboflavin production nor the adhesion of the strain to Caco-2 cells. Thus, L. plantarum M5MA1-B2[pRCR12] was evaluated for its survival under digestive tract stresses in the presence of microbiota in the dynamic multistage BFBL gut model and in a murine model. After exposure to both models, M5MA1-B2[pRCR12] could be recovered and detected by the pink color of the colonies. The results indicated a satisfactory resistance of the strain to gastric and intestinal stress conditions but a low colonization capability observed both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, L. plantarum M5MA1-B2 could be proposed as a probiotic strain for the development of functional foods.Fil: Mohedano, Mari Luz. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas; EspañaFil: Hernández Recio, Sara. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas; EspañaFil: Yépez, Alba. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Requena, Teresa. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Martínez Cuesta, M. Carmen. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Peláez, Carmen. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Russo, Pasquale. Università di Foggia; ItaliaFil: Leblanc, Jean Guy Joseph. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Spano, Giuseppe. Università di Foggia; ItaliaFil: Aznar, Rosa. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos; EspañaFil: López, Paloma. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas; Españ

Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in Swedish calves, common sequence types and antibiotic resistance patterns

Aims Cattle are the second most important cause of human campylobacteriosis, after poultry, but there are knowledge gaps regarding Campylobacter in cattle. This study examined the occurrence of Campylobacter, the species present, sequence types and antibiotic resistance in Swedish cattle.Methods and Results Faeces samples collected from 154 calves on seven Swedish farms, and 69 follow-up samples from a second collection occasion, were analysed. Campylobacter were isolated from 77% of calves at the first sampling, with Campylobacter jejuni as the most frequently isolated species. Animals kept on deep straw bedding were less likely to be colonized with Campylobacter. Whole-genome sequencing of 90 C. jejuni samples resulted in 11 sequence types, among which ST-19 and ST-21 were most frequent. Antimicrobial resistance analyses showed that 46% of 142 isolates analysed were resistant to quinolones, while all isolates belonging to ST-19, ST-22 and ST-441 were resistant to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid.Conclusions Campylobacter jejuni was the species most frequently isolated in calves and a strong association was found between sequence type and antimicrobial resistance pattern.Significance and Impact of the Study The high proportion of calves with quinolone-resistant Campylobacter jejuni should be considered in a One Health perspective

Mechanisms of endothelial cell dysfunction in cystic fibrosis

Although cystic fibrosis (CF) patients exhibit signs of endothelial perturbation, the functions of the cystic fibrosis conductance regulator (CFTR) in vascular endothelial cells (EC) are poorly defined. We sought to uncover biological activities of endothelial CFTR, relevant for vascular homeostasis and inflammation. We examined cells from human umbilical cords (HUVEC) and pulmonary artery isolated from non-cystic fibrosis (PAEC) and CF human lungs (CF-PAEC), under static conditions or physiological shear. CFTR activity, clearly detected in HUVEC and PAEC, was markedly reduced in CF-PAEC. CFTR blockade increased endothelial permeability to macromolecules and reduced trans‑endothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Consistent with this, CF-PAEC displayed lower TEER compared to PAEC. Under shear, CFTR blockade reduced VE-cadherin and p120 catenin membrane expression and triggered the formation of paxillin- and vinculin-enriched membrane blebs that evolved in shrinking of the cell body and disruption of cell-cell contacts. These changes were accompanied by enhanced release of microvesicles, which displayed reduced capability to stimulate proliferation in recipient EC. CFTR blockade also suppressed insulin-induced NO generation by EC, likely by inhibiting eNOS and AKT phosphorylation, whereas it enhanced IL-8 release. Remarkably, phosphodiesterase inhibitors in combination with a β2 adrenergic receptor agonist corrected functional and morphological changes triggered by CFTR dysfunction in EC. Our results uncover regulatory functions of CFTR in EC, suggesting a physiological role of CFTR in the maintenance EC homeostasis and its involvement in pathogenetic aspects of CF. Moreover, our findings open avenues for novel pharmacology to control endothelial dysfunction and its consequences in CF

Functional and morphological adaptations of the digestive system induced by domestication in cats.

Several studies have showed the macroscopic difference in the gastrointestinal tract between the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) and the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus). Digestive system in the wildcat is shorter than in domestic species and this feature is considered distinctive in the taxonomic classification of subjects (Schauenberg et al. 1977). This study is a part of a large investigation regarding the microscopic anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract of European wildcat, associated to the study of intestinal microbiome. Its main purpose was to enhance knowledge about this species, to get a comparison with domestic cat, and to evaluate if and how domestication has influenced the functional and morphological development of this apparatus, also n n t ut\u2018s m roflor To this aim we collected, weighted and measured the gastrointestinal tract of twenty European wildcats. Afterwards, intestinal sections were sampled, treated and observed at the microscope in order to evaluate histological characteristics as the villi height and width, crypts depth and wall thickness. Moreover, we wanted to study the intestinal production of an apolipoprotein that is believed directly related to the development of hepatic steatosis, decreasing the amount of lipids deposited in the liver. For this purpose, liver specimens were collected and treated to study histologically the degree of vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes. Data were analyzed and compared with those of the domestic cats coming from our database. In attempt to evaluate the microbiome, feces and rectal ampulla were collected and sent to the Texas A&M University for pyrosequencing analysis (data not shown). Results demonstrated significant differences in intestinal structure between F. catus and F. s. silvestris. Villi coming from domestic cats were significantly shorter (p<0.0001) and wider (p<0.0142) than in wildcats that showed crypts deeper (p<0.0009). Domestication has led to significant changes in adaptation regarding both behavior and diet. Several studies showed the correlation between diet changes (protein, carbohydrates, and fiber concentration) and morphological adaptation in the gut of different species (Altmann, 1972; Hampson, 1983; Goodlad et al., 1988; Pluske et al., 1996; Sritiawthai et al., 2013). Moreover, data from liver study showed that domestic cat has higher levels of apolipoprotein compared to the wild cat and that the percentage of lipids in the liver was lower in F. catus than in F. s. silvestris. Despite these results, the liver of domestic cat revealed a rate of steatosis higher than in wild cat. Indeed, this pathology proved to be almost absent in wild cats and can be explained by the different nature of the two species diet and microbiome composition. This study revealed that transition from a strictly-carnivorous diet (typical of the wild cat) to an omnivorous type, has modified the nutritional intake considerably and influenced the evolution of the digestive apparatus in domestic cat