A new dawn for energy storage:An interdisciplinary legal and techno-economic analysis of the new EU legal framework

Beyond the hitherto high cost of storage technologies, regulatory and market barriers such as lack of definition, double grid charges and unclear ownership rules have hindered their deployment. These barriers, however, have been largely overlooked in energy modelling research, calling for new interdisciplinary research. In 2019, the new EU electricity market directive was released with energy storage as a central element. Against this background, we study the impact of the new EU legal framework on the value of energy storage across 12 countries using techno-economic modelling informed by legal analysis and expert interviews. We conclude that the new legal regime fits for behind-the-meter batteries which could become widespread across Europe, considering their important value creation. This could also be the case for community storage, especially if national transpositions of the new legal regime prevent double grid charges or at least, moderate them. Legal certainty is created by prohibiting network operators to operate energy storage, but we argue that benefit stacking including applications which support electricity grids would only be possible if network operators set up transparent flexibility markets for the interested parties

Distribution and Habitat of the Southern Two-Lined Salamander, Eurycea cirrigera, in Will County, Illinois: Implications For Population Management and Monitoring

The southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) was found to occur at numerous localities within the Kankakee River State Park in Will County, Illinois. The species is restricted to small drainages within the Kankakee River valley that have flow consisting of groundwater that discharges at seeps or springs at or within the valley bluff. Cooler water temperatures and possibly other conditions that are associated with water derived from seep or spring sources may be important factors in determining salamander abundance. This is particularly relevant to larval habitat. These observations suggest that the spring or seep-fed larval habitat may be the primary limiting factor that may explain why the distribution of E. cirrigera is restricted in northern Illinois. It is proposed, that from a conservation management perspective, individual drainages or spring runs may best be considered as subpopulations of a metapopulation that are vulnerable to both deterministic and stochastic extinction. Educational field trips conducted by faculty of Chicago State University in 1996 and 1997 have provided preliminary data of relative population size and environmental conditions at some sites. With further refinement and standardization, these census techniques may have high potential for long-term monitoring to assess population status or detect decline. The inventory and census strategies that were used may also be adapted for use with other streamside salamander species that have similar life history traits and habitat requirements

A Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Crossover Study of the Acute Metabolic Effects of Olanzapine in Healthy Volunteers

Atypical antipsychotics exhibit metabolic side effects including diabetes mellitus and obesity. The adverse events are preceded by acute worsening of oral glucose tolerance (oGTT) along with reduced plasma free fatty acids (FFA) and leptin in animal models. It is unclear whether the same acute effects occur in humans.A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial was conducted to examine the potential metabolic effects of olanzapine in healthy volunteers. Participants included male (8) and female (7) subjects [18-30 years old, BMI 18.5-25]. Subjects received placebo or olanzapine (10 mg/day) for three days prior to oGTT testing. Primary endpoints included measurement of plasma leptin, oral glucose tolerance, and plasma free fatty acids (FFA). Secondary metabolic endpoints included: triglycerides, total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, heart rate, blood pressure, body weight and BMI. Olanzapine increased glucose Area Under the Curve (AUC) by 42% (2808±474 vs. 3984±444 mg/dl·min; P = 0.0105) during an oGTT. Fasting plasma leptin and triglycerides were elevated 24% (Leptin: 6.8±1.3 vs. 8.4±1.7 ng/ml; P = 0.0203) and 22% (Triglycerides: 88.9±10.1 vs. 108.2±11.6 mg/dl; P = 0.0170), whereas FFA and HDL declined by 32% (FFA: 0.38±0.06 vs. 0.26±0.04 mM; P = 0.0166) and 11% (54.2±4.7 vs. 48.9±4.3 mg/dl; P = 0.0184), respectively after olanzapine. Other measures were unchanged.Olanzapine exerts some but not all of the early endocrine/metabolic changes observed in rodent models of the metabolic side effects, and this suggest that antipsychotic effects are not limited to perturbations in glucose metabolism alone. Future prospective clinical studies should focus on identifying which reliable metabolic alterations might be useful as potential screening tools in assessing patient susceptibility to weight gain and diabetes caused by atypical antipsychotics.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00741026

Current distribution and status of amphibians and reptiles in Will County, Illinois

The distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Will County, Illinois, was assessed using museum records and results from 58 surveys conducted between 1986 and 2009 on lands owned and managed by the Forest Preserve District of Will County (FPDWC) and Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). One hundred and twenty sources of information were examined including technical reports, theses, dissertations, and personal data belonging to the authors. Forty-eight species (19 amphibians, 29 reptiles) were documented by photos or specimens from Will County. Eleven species were determined widespread and common, 6 were categorized as patchy distributions and are uncommon or locally common, and 23 were found to have restricted distributions and are considered rare, including seven state-listed species. One of those state-listed species (Sistrurus catenatus) is likely extirpated. Eight species had undetermined distributions, four of them of questionable occurrence. One of the questionable species (Anaxyrus fowleri) is no longer included in the current list of Will County herpetofauna because it has been determined to have been an introduction and no known population exists. For three others Terrapene carolina, Pantherophis spiloides, Nerodia rhombifer) we were unable to conclusively interpret their records and they are assigned questionable status until further records confirm existence of viable, self sustaining populations. Of seven state-listed species (four threatened, three endangered), one may be extirpated (Sistrurus catenatus). Lithobates sylvaticus, Hemidactylium scutatum, Ambystoma texanum, and Eurycea cirrigera are glacial relicts that are highly vulnerable to extirpation due to pollution, isolation, and a warming climate. Presently, 43 species (18 amphibians, 25 reptiles) are known to occur in Will County, making it the most species-rich county in the Chicago region.Ope

SNP genotyping using alkali cleavage of RNA/DNA chimeras and MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are now widely used for many DNA analysis applications such as linkage disequilibrium mapping, pharmacogenomics and traceability. Many methods for SNP genotyping exist with diverse strategies for allele-distinction. Mass spectrometers are used most commonly in conjunction with primer extension procedures with allele-specific termination. Here we present a novel concept for allele-preparation for SNP genotyping. Primer extension is carried out with an extension primer positioned immediately upstream of the SNP that is to be genotyped, a complete set of four ribonucleotides and a ribonucleotide incorporating DNA polymerase. The allele-extension products are then treated with alkali, which results in the cleavage immediately after the first added ribonucleotide. In addition, to obtain fragments easily detectable by mass spectrometry, we have included a ribonucleotide in the primer usually at the fourth nucleotide from the 3′ terminus. The method was tested on four SNPs each with a different combination of nucleotides. The advantage over other mass spectrometry-based SNP genotyping assays is that this one only requires a PCR, a primer extension reaction with a universal extension mix and an inexpensive facile cleavage reaction, which makes it overall very cost effective and easy in handling

The genetic code as expressed through relationships between mRNA structure and protein function

Structured RNA elements within messenger RNA often direct or modulate the cellular production of active proteins. As reviewed here, RNA structures have been discovered that govern nearly every step in protein production: mRNA production and stability; translation initiation, elongation, and termination; protein folding; and cellular localization. Regulatory RNA elements are common within RNAs from every domain of life. This growing body of RNA-mediated mechanisms continues to reveal new ways in which mRNA structure regulates translation. We integrate examples from several different classes of RNA structure-mediated regulation to present a global perspective that suggests that the secondary and tertiary structure of RNA ultimately constitutes an additional level of the genetic code that both guides and regulates protein biosynthesis

A multiple-methods vertical land movement analysis and its integration into probabilistic sea level rise projections for coastal Washington

In order to support climate change planning and adaptation at the community scale, climate projections should ideally be down-scaled, and also provide meaningful representations of uncertainty. As part of the NOAA-funded Washington Coastal Resilience Project, our team developed new sea level projections for Washington State that feature two innovations. First, the projections include an assessment of the likelihood of occurrence of different sea level magnitudes at decadal intervals through 2150. Next, sea level is projected in a relative framework using vertical land movement information. This presentation will describe the development of the most comprehensive database of vertical land movement observations, along with their uncertainties, ever assembled for coastal Washington State. Vertical land movement observations are derived from multiple sources, including 6 different continuous GPS databases, a single-differencing approach using tide-gauge data, and repeat leveling of survey control monuments near highways. The observations were coupled with a tectonic deformation model of the Cascadia Subduction Zone to develop a best-fit surface for all of coastal Washington, along with its associated uncertainty. The best fit surface and its uncertainty was principally guided by the observations, but in locations with sparse data tectonic deformation model dominated the fit of the surface. The results suggest considerable variability in coastal vertical land movement in coastal Washington State. Rates can vary by \u3e 3 mm/yr over spatial scales of only 10s of kms. Uncertainties also vary, ranging from less then 0.5 mm/yr in places with dense observational data, to \u3e2 mm/yr along parts of the coast of Washington and parts of northern Puget Sound. Using a Monte Carlo approach, vertical land movement estimates and their uncertainties are integrated into probabilistic absolute sea level projections. Then, relative sea level projections are derived at high resolution along Washington\u27s coast. These relative projections are also presented in a probabilistic format, and take into account the uncertainty in sea level projections and the uncertainty in the vertical land movement estimates. The variability in vertical land movement translates into spatial differences in projected relative sea level change of ~0.3 m by 2100. Coastal locations in Washington State with the highest rates of uplift are assessed to have, as a best estimate (i.e. median projection), a relative sea level by 2100 of ~0.4 m relative to contemporary sea level. By contrast the best estimate of relative sea level 2100 at locations with land subsidence may exceed ~0.7 m relative to contemporary sea level