Evaluation of Safety of Reinforced Concrete Buildings to Earthquakes

National Science Foundation Grant GK-3637

Methodology for dimensioning the socio-economic impact of power-to-gas technologies in a circular economy scenario

Innovative and sustainable energy technologies are needed in the transition of energy toward a circular economy. Because of the use of renewable energy and carbon utilization, power-to-gas could be a cutting-edge technology that supports the circular model in future sustainable energy markets. However, this technology faces new technical and socio-economic challenges. The use of power-to-gas is limited because of barriers that limit the mobilization of investment capital. In addition, social and economic impacts on the territories in which these facilities are located are under study. In this context, the aims of this paper are: (i) To explore the determinants and barriers for power-to-gas technology to enhance the understanding of investment in innovative energy technologies; and (ii) to support effective policymaking and energy companies’ decision-making processes. This study defines and measures, from a circular economy perspective, the main impacts of the deployment of this technology on a territory in terms of volume of investment, employment generation, and CO2 capture. The study also provides a simplified methodology to contribute to the analysis of the use of power-to-gas. Finally, it improves the knowledge of the socio-economic impact of this cutting-edge technology for the transition of energy to a zero-emission scenario

Experimental fully contextual correlations

Quantum correlations are contextual yet, in general, nothing prevents the existence of even more contextual correlations. We identify and test a noncontextuality inequality in which the quantum violation cannot be improved by any hypothetical postquantum theory, and use it to experimentally obtain correlations in which the fraction of noncontextual correlations is less than 0.06. Our correlations are experimentally generated from the results of sequential compatible tests on a four-state quantum system encoded in the polarization and path of a single photon.Comment: REVTeX4, 6 pages, 3 figure

The Impact of Eco-Innovation on Performance Through the Measurement of Financial Resources and Green Patents

The main objective of this article is to contribute empirically to the understanding of the impact that eco-innovation has on firms’ financial performance within the framework of the resources-based view. Specifically, eco-innovation is measured by using eco-innovative activities and financial resources applied to eco-innovation to argue that the identification and measurement of certain resources of firms allow companies that are particularly active in investing in eco-innovation to be more competitive. Furthermore, the analysis attempts to ascertain whether firms that own green patents and other characteristics exhibit different level of financial performance than firms without registered green patents. The empirical partial least squares structural equation modeling results indicate a positive relationship between the investment of resources and the financial performance of eco-innovative firms. The effects of involving managers in eco-innovative processes as an environmental capability of firms are also tested

Boundary-domain integral equations equivalent to an exterior mixed BVP for the variable-viscosity compressible Stokes PDEs

EPSRC, UK (grants EP/H020497/1, EP/M013545/1, and 1636273); Brunel University Londo

Efficacy and Renal Outcomes of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease

Objective: To review glucose-lowering efficacy and changes in renal function associated with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Data sources: A literature search of MEDLINE and Cochrane databases was performed from 2000 to August 2018 using search terms: SGLT2 inhibitors, sodium glucose co-transporter 2, canagliflozin, empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, ertugliflozin, and chronic kidney disease. References of identified articles were also reviewed. Study selection and data extraction: English-language studies investigating glucose-lowering endpoints and/or changes in renal function with one of four U.S. approved SGLT2 inhibitors were included. A total of 10 studies met inclusion criteria and are included in this review. Results: In patients with T2DM and CKD, SGLT2 inhibitors are modestly effective in lowering hemoglobin A1C and fasting plasma glucose compared to placebo. Small reductions in eGFR are seen shortly after initiating therapy with SGLT2 inhibitors, but return to baseline levels after discontinuation. SGLT2 inhibitors are associated with a substantial reduction in albuminuria and reduced risk of progression to albuminuria. Conclusions: In patients with T2DM and CKD, SGLT2 inhibitors have a decreased glucose-lowering effect compared to patients without CKD. Renal benefits among patients with CKD are similar to those without CKD and include a significant reduction in albuminuria and reduced incidence of worsening albuminuria. Given that CKD and T2DM are both associated with increased cardiovascular risk, we believe these agents should considered as preferred add-on agents in most patients with uncontrolled T2DM and eGFR \u3e30 ml/min/1.73 m2. Ongoing studies will provide additional information as to whether these agents should be added to the current standard of care for CKD patients, with and without T2DM

Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aim To evaluate the cardiovascular outcomes of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Materials and Methods We searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases for randomized controlled trials reporting event rates for a composite cardiovascular outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in patients with T2DM and CKD receiving GLP1-RA or placebo. Studies were restricted to those reporting specific event rates for patients with CKD separately from the overall population. We conducted a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. This meta-analysis was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022320157). Results A total of four studies comprising 7130 patients was included in our analysis. Four different GLP1-RA were assessed in a population with CKD defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \u3c60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Treatment with GLP1-RA was not associated with a significant reduction in the composite cardiovascular end point of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke (odds ratio (OR) 0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.59–1.07; p = 0.13) among patients with T2DM and CKD. Individual components of the composite cardiovascular end point were assessed in two trials and did not show evidence of an effect of GLP1-RA in reducing cardiovascular end points. Conclusions Pooled analysis of clinical trials reporting separate cardiovascular events rates in patients with T2DM and CKD did not find GLP1-RA to be associated with a reduction in composite cardiovascular event rates. Select GLP1-RA may offer cardiovascular event reduction in patients with T2DM and CKD, but this does not appear to be a class effect. Use of GLP1-RA with demonstrated cardiovascular benefits should be preferred in patients with CKD and T2DM to further reduce cardiovascular risk

Zooplankton biomass and indices of feeding and metabolism in relation to an upwelling filament off northwest Africa

Zooplankton biomass and indices of grazing (gut fluorescence), respiration (electron transfer system activity, ETS) and growth (aspartate transcarbamylase, ATC) were studied in relation to an upwelling filament off northwest Africa during August 1993. The filament extended 150 km offshore into the oligotrophic waters. It was generated by a trapped, quasi-permanent cyclonic eddy located between the Canary Islands and the African shelf. High biomass, specific gut fluorescence and electron transfer system activity in zooplankton were observed along the filament structure. In contrast, low values of biomass, gut fluorescence, ETS and ATC specific activities were found in the center of the trapped cyclonic eddy. Assuming a 50% of pigment destruction, the calculated grazing impact of zooplankton on primary production varied between 16 and 97%, a high range compared to other oceanic systems. Ingestion, estimated from indices of metabolism and growth, accounted for 47–296% of the primary production (assuming an herbivorous feeding). Mesozooplankton transported offshore into the oligotrophic area fulfilled their metabolic demands with nonpigmented food as observed from the increase of omnivory from the coastal waters to the open ocean. The progressive decay of grazing and metabolic indices along the filament suggests that advection, rather than local enrichment processes, is mostly responsible for the high biomass values in this physical structure