Steam unit and gas turbine power station reliable control for network black-start-up

The aim of the paper is the analysis of the dynamic behavior of a thermoelectric power plant equipped with a steam unit and a gas turbine during the early phases ofa black-start-up maneuver for the network restoration. Models of different detail level for two production units and the relevant regulators have been implemented into two simulation tools. The paper contains the description of the different models, identifies the cases in which the two simulation codes predict similar results and presents the main characteristics, as well as the fields of application of the two codes. As an example, the paper presents also an application of simulators developed for the planning and the preparation of island operation and start up field tests of a power station

Inventory of Good Practices to help people to take one step up

The Volume reports the analysis of the best European practices supporting low skilled citizens in their upskillin

Detection of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in South Africa

Continued uncontrolled transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in many parts of the world is creating conditions for substantial evolutionary changes to the virus1,2. Here we describe a newly arisen lineage of SARS-CoV-2 (designated 501Y.V2; also known as B.1.351 or 20H) that is defined by eight mutations in the spike protein, including three substitutions (K417N, E484K and N501Y) at residues in its receptor-binding domain that may have functional importance3,4,5. This lineage was identified in South Africa after the first wave of the epidemic in a severely affected metropolitan area (Nelson Mandela Bay) that is located on the coast of the Eastern Cape province. This lineage spread rapidly, and became dominant in Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu–Natal provinces within weeks. Although the full import of the mutations is yet to be determined, the genomic data—which show rapid expansion and displacement of other lineages in several regions—suggest that this lineage is associated with a selection advantage that most plausibly results from increased transmissibility or immune escape6,7,8

Euro+Med-Checklist Notulae, 12 [Notulae ad floram euro-mediterraneam pertinentes No. 41]

This is the twelfth of a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to both the Med-Checklist and the Euro+Med (or Sisyphus) projects are presented. This instalment deals with the families Asparagaceae (incl. Hyacinthaceae), Boraginaceae, Cactaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Compositae, Crassulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Gramineae, Haloragaceae, Iridaceae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Malvaceae, Orchidaceae, Orobanchaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Polygonaceae, Rosaceae, Scrophulariaceae (incl. Buddlejaceae), Solanaceae and Umbelliferae. It includes new country and area records and taxonomic and distributional considerations for taxa in Abutilon, Aegilops, Amelanchier, Andryala, Aruncus, Asparagus, Bellevalia, Brugmansia, Buglossoides, Bupleurum, Cortaderia, Crassula, Datura, Dysphania, Euphorbia, Fallopia, Iris, Lycianthes, Myriophyllum, Nicodemia, Onobrychis, Ophrys, Opuntia, Orobanche, Phelipanche, Plumbago, Salvia, Silene, Stellaria and Wisteria, and new combinations in Amelanchier and Phelipanche