Regularity of Kobayashi metric

We review some recent results on existence and regularity of Monge-Amp\`ere exhaustions on the smoothly bounded strongly pseudoconvex domains, which admit at least one such exhaustion of sufficiently high regularity. A main consequence of our results is the fact that the Kobayashi pseudo-metric k on an appropriare open subset of each of the above domains is actually a smooth Finsler metric. The class of domains to which our result apply is very large. It includes for instance all smoothly bounded strongly pseudoconvex complete circular domains and all their sufficiently small deformations.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures - The previously announced main result had a gap. In this new version the corrected statement is given. To appear on the volume "Geometric Complex Analysis - Proceedings of KSCV 12 Symposium

The impact of regional factors and new bio-methane incentive schemes on the structure, profitability and CO2 balance of biogas plants in Italy

The Italian Ministry for Economic Development recently started a new incentive program for biomethane grid injection and biomethane for transportation. This opens up new opportunities for more efficient utilization of agricultural biogas, which in the past was mainly used in Italy for power only solutions. Because of the wider range of feasible options, entrepreneurs and local authorities need support tools to identify optimal alternatives, from an economic and environmental viewpoint, respectively. Thus, a biomass supply chain optimization model, including current costs and new incentives for biogas exploitation, is introduced in this paper. The model is used to explore the impact of Italian energy policies on the profitability of alternative biogas utilization pathways in two regional cases studies, characterized by different penetration of CNG refueling stations. The effect of local factors on energy vectors share and on GHG emission reduction are investigated with factor analysis. It is found that CBM production represents the most profitable choice for entrepreneurs under current levels of bio-methane incentives, however because of the small Italian CBM market size it risks to be overly subsidized. Allocating funds to promote a further expansion of CNG would probably help CBM development and benefits more than increasing specific incentives

Risk of cancer after assisted reproduction: a review of the available evidences and guidance to fertility counselors

Infertile women requiring ovarian stimulation and assisted reproduction techniques (ART) are faced with difficult issues. The fear that using hormones could increase their risk of cancer is the most significant. One of the main challenges for assessing cancer risk after ART is the difficulty to separate it from the underlying condition of infertility per se. The delay or the inability to achieve a pregnancy is an important risk factor for breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer. We analyzed the current literature on the topic

An optimal renewable energy mix for Indonesia

Indonesia has experienced a constant increase of the use of petroleum and coal in the power sector, while the share of renewable sources has remained stable at 6% of the total energy production during the last decade. As its domestic energy demand undeniably continues to grow, Indonesia is committed to increase the production of renewable energy. Mainly to decrease its dependency on fossil fuel-based resources, and to decrease the anthropogenic emissions, the government of Indonesia has established a 23 percent target for renewable energy by 2025, along with a 100 percent electrification target by 2020 (the current rate is 80.4 percent). In that respect, Indonesia has abundant resources to meet these targets, but there is - inter alia - a lack of proper integrated planning, regulatory support, investment, distribution in remote areas of the Archipelago, and missing data to back the planning. To support the government of Indonesia in its sustainable energy system planning, a geographic explicit energy modeling approach is applied. This approach is based on the energy systems optimization model BeWhere, which identifies the optimal location of energy conversion sites based on the minimization of the costs of the supply chain. The model will incorporate the existing fossil fuel-based infrastructures, and evaluate the optimal costs, potentials and locations for the development of renewable energy technologies (i.e. wind, solar, hydro, biomass and geothermal based technologies), as well as the development of biomass co-firing in existing coal plants. With the help of the model, an optimally adapted renewable energy mix – vis-à-vis the competing fossil fuel based resources and applicable policies in order to promote the development of those renewable energy technologies – will be identified. The development of the optimal renewable energy technologies is carried out with special focus on nature protection and cultural heritage areas, where feedstock (e.g., biomass harvesting) and green-field power plant sites will be limited – depending on the protection type and renewable energy technology. The results of the study provide indications to the policy makers on where, how and which technologies should be implemented, and what kind of policy support would be needed in order to increase and meet the Indonesian renewable energy target and to increase the energy access for all

Internalizing the external costs of biogas supply chains in the Italian energy sector

In Italy biogas support schemes are being revised to include subsidies for the production of biomethane. Energy policies should foster environmentally optimal solutions, especially because social acceptance issues often arise in the case of biogas. In this paper we use the external cost methodology to quantify the environmental impact of airborne emissions associated with biogas-based energy vectors and their corresponding fossil substitutes These are evaluated at supply chain level and incorporated in a spatially explicit optimization model. The method is applied to northern Italy to compare the potential impact of alternative policy options. It is found that, while the external costs of biogas-based pathways are always lower than corresponding fossil fuel based pathways, the differences are generally so small that policies based on internalization of external costs alone would not lead to further development of biogas-based technologies. For all utilization pathways, consideration of local externalities leads to a less favourable evaluation of biogas-based technologies, which results in external costs even higher than the substituted fossil fuel if biogas is allocated to local heating

LV Mechanics in Mitral and Aortic Valve Diseases: Value of Functional Assessment Beyond Ejection Fraction.

The assessment of myocardial function in the context of valvular heart disease remains highly challenging. The myocardium deforms simultaneously in 3 dimensions, and global left ventricular (LV) function parameters such as volume and ejection fraction may remain compensated despite the changes in myocardial deformation properties. Current guidelines recommend valve replacement/repair in the presence of symptoms or reduced LV ejection fraction, but the resolution of symptoms or recovery of LV function post-surgery may not be reliably predicted. A wealth of evidence currently suggests that LV dysfunction is frequently subclinical despite normal ejection fraction. It may precede the onset of symptoms and portend a poor outcome due to progressive myocardial remodeling and dysfunction during the post-operative period. The advent of novel tissue-tracking echocardiography techniques has unleashed new opportunities for the clinical identification of early abnormalities in LV function. This review gathers and summarizes current evidence regarding the use of these techniques to assess myocardial deformation in patients with valvular heart disease

S-Genotype Diversity in Wild Cherry Populations in the Czech Republic

Abstract Wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) S-genotyping is aimed to uncover and thus make it possible to select appropriate genotypes applicable in establishing commercial plantations and advanced forest tree breeding activities. The general and long-term aim is to increase genetic gain in economically valuable traits while maintaining sufficient genetic variability (represented by diverse S-alleles in population). We genotyped 123 accessions from wild cherry growing areas in the Czech Republic using polymerase chain reaction based length polymorphisms detection of S-RNase and SFB genes. The studied plant material revealed 18 different S-haplotypes, 54 S-genotypes corresponded to 25 defined incompatibility groups of cultivated sweet cherry. Eighteen unique S-genotypes were designated to group '0' as a universal pollinator. Eleven new incompatibility groups were found out, of which four were cross-compatible with sweet cherry cultivars. The most frequent was a new incompatibility group S14S21 followed by the group S12S14. The haplotypes S14 (13%) and S1 (10%) were the most frequent whereas S20 was less frequent in the wild populations of cherry. The present study of S-genotyping in the wild cherry population reveals the genetic diversity structure of natural populations and hopefully will help define the breeding strategy including more accurate planning activities such as the optimal seed design of orchards

Negative Emissions on South East Asia: Renewable Energy Optimization with BECCS for Indonesia

Indonesia, on the one hand, is a tropical country with large biomass productivity and increasing oil and gas sector activities. On the other hand, it is the 3rd largest GHG emitter globally and some 90% of its emissions are generated from massive land-use change. However, Indonesia has also developed very ambitious climate targets aiming at up to 41% emission reduction by 2020. These targets need to be balanced with an envisaged GDP growth by 7% and projected 5 times higher energy consumption in 2050. To decrease its fossil fuel dependency and emissions, the government of Indonesia has decided to increase the renewable energy supply from 6% to 23% by 2025, along with a 100 percent electrification target by 2020. Furthermore, BECCS (i.e. the combination of forest based bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) is seen as a promising tool to bridge between the various future challenges Indonesia is facing and at the same time to deliver large quantities of negative emissions needed by the end of this century. But - irrespectively of Indonesia’s abundant resources to meet ambitious renewable energy and mitigation targets - there is lack of proper integrated planning, regulatory support, investment, distribution in remote areas of the Archipelago, and missing data to back the planning. To support the government of Indonesia in its sustainable energy systems planning, a geographic explicit energy modeling approach is applied. IIASA’s BeWhere Model identifies the optimal location of energy conversion sites based on the minimization of the supply chain costs. The model incorporates the existing fossil fuel-based infrastructures, and evaluates the optimal costs, potentials and locations for the development of renewable energy technologies (i.e. wind, solar, hydro, biomass and geothermal based technologies), as well as the development of biomass co-firing in existing coal plants. An optimally adapted renewable energy mix – vis-à-vis the competing fossil fuel based resources – is identified. In addition, the in situ BECCS capacity for different scenarios is assessed for Indonesia. Special focus is put on nature protection and cultural heritage areas, where feedstock (e.g., biomass harvesting) and green-field power plant sites will be limited – depending on the protection type and renewable energy technology. First results of the study provide indications on where, how and which technologies should be implemented. Moreover, the assessment indicates that the BECCS potentials vary substantially over the different scenario assumptions. Sustainable biomass feedstock production, energy demand and supply as well as competing industries and existing transport infrastructure are key to achieve an optimal BECCS solution. Clean energy access for all with special emphasis on remote areas and small islands in Indonesia turns out to be especially interesting from a socio-economic, emission savings and innovation perspective

Optimal Biomethane Injection into Natural Gas Grid – Biogas from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) in Malaysia

The Malaysian government aims to facilitate the renewable energy (RE) sector by introducing the National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan during 2010. 4,000 MW of installed RE capacity is targeted by 2030, with 410 MW biogas capacity. Palm oil mill effluent (POME), agro-based industries and farming industries are identified as potential sources of biogas. It was studied that more than 500 kt of biomethane could be produced yearly if all the POME is treated anaerobically. The utilization of biomethane has remained unexplored for its injection into natural gas grid. This papers aims to identify the potential of POME biomethane injection into natural gas grid by using the BeWhere model, a techno-economic spatial explicit model. The locations, capacity and technology of biogas refinery plants will be identified based on cost minimization of the full supply chain of biogas production. The result shows that 135 - 227 biogas plants were selected, supplying 40% - 67% residential fossil gas demand, under different carbon price implementation and fossil gas subsidy scenarios