Ryzyko klimatyczne jako kluczowy rodzaj ryzyka w sektorze energetycznym

The ongoing energy transition is irreversibly changing the nature and functioning of the energy sector and emerging new types of risks, with climate risk standing out in particular, being a result of the EU’s energy and climate policy as well as global trends related to sustainable development. The materialisation of climate risk gives rise to a number of mutually interpenetrating new types of risk, among which financial, regulatory and social risks can be distinguished. Climate risk also manifests itself in the performance of the EU ETS CO2 emissions trading scheme, as well as in weather risks. The purpose of this paper is to define accurately the types of risk affecting the activities of energy entities and to indicate the impact of climate risk on them. The methods used in this research are literature review and data analysis. Climate risk is therefore an accelerator of new risks in the electric power sector and should thus be duly taken into account and mitigated, as ignoring it can have serious consequences. Hence, climate risk management is becoming one of the key elements of risk management across the energy sector. Decisions made by energy companies in line with the sustainable development paradigm will catalyse their growth and allow them to increase their value.Tocząca się transformacja energetyczna nieodwracalnie zmienia charakter i funkcjonowanie sektora energetycznego oraz powoduje powstawanie nowych rodzajów ryzyka, wśród których na szczególną uwagę zasługuje ryzyko klimatyczne, będące wynikiem polityki energetyczno-klimatycznej UE oraz światowych trendów związanych ze zrównoważonym rozwojem. Materializacja ryzyka klimatycznego powoduje powstanie szeregu wzajemnie przenikających się nowych rodzajów ryzyka, wśród których można wyróżnić ryzyko finansowe, regulacyjne i społeczne. Ryzyko klimatyczne przejawia się również w działaniu systemu handlu emisjami CO2 EU ETS, jak również w ryzyku pogodowym. Celem niniejszej publikacji jest dokładne zdefiniowanie rodzajów ryzyka wpływających na działalność podmiotów energetycznych oraz udokumentowanie szczególnej istotności ryzyka klimatycznego. Metodologia prac naukowych obejmowała przegląd literatury i analizę danych. Ryzyko klimatyczne jest akceleratorem nowych zagrożeń w sektorze elektroenergetycznym, dlatego powinno być należycie uwzględniane przez podmioty energetyczne i mitygowane, gdyż jego ignorowanie może mieć poważne konsekwencje. Tym samym zarządzanie ryzykiem klimatycznym staje się jednym z kluczowych elementów zarządzania ryzykiem w całym sektorze energetycznym. Decyzje podejmowane przez firmy energetyczne, zgodnie z paradygmatem zrównoważonego rozwoju, będą katalizowały ich rozwój i pozwolą na zwiększenie ich wartości

Olanzapine Attenuates Cue-elicited Craving for Tobacco

Rationale: Recent biological conceptualizations of craving and addiction have implicated mesolimbic dopamine activity as a central feature of the process of addiction. Imaging, and pharmacological studies have supported a role for dopaminergic structures in cue-elicited craving for tobacco. Objective: If mesolimbic dopamine activity is associated with cue-elicited craving for tobacco, a dopamine antagonist should attenuate cueelicited craving for tobacco. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether an atypical antipsychotic (olanzapine, 5 mg) decreased cue-elicited craving for tobacco. Method: Participants were randomly assigned to 5 days of pretreatment with olanzapine (5 mg; n=31) or were randomly assigned to 5 days of a matching placebo (n=28). Approximately 8 h after the last dose, participants were exposed to a control cue (pencil) followed by exposure to smoking cues. Participants subsequently smoked either nicotine cigarettes or de-nicotinized cigarettes. Results: Olanzapine attenuated cue-elicited craving for tobacco but did not moderate the subjective effects of smoking. Discussion: This study represents one of the first investigations of the effect of atypical antipsychotics on cue-elicited craving for tobacco. The results suggest that medications with similar profiles may reduce cue-elicited craving, which in turn, may partially explain recent observations that atypical antipsychotics may reduce substance use

Identification and synthesis of secondary metabolites from marine bacteria

In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist die marine Naturstoffforschung immer mehr in den Blickpunkt des Interesses geraten. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden mehr als 100 Extrakte meist mariner Bakterienstämme wie Cytophaga sp., Brevibacter linens, Actinomyceten, Streptomyceten, aber auch terrestrischer Bakterienstämme wie Stigmatella aurantiaca gaschromatographisch- massenspektrometrisch untersucht. Neben den bekannten, wurden auch viele unbekannte Verbindungen gefunden. In Cytophaga sp. konnten die Verbindungen 4,4-Dimethyl-1,2,3-trithiolan, 4,4,6,6-Tetramethyl-1,2,5-trithiepan, 3,3,7,7-Tetramethyl-1,2,5- trithiepan, 3,3,6,6-Tetramethyl-1,2,5-trithiepan, 3,3,7,7-Tetramethyl-1,2,5,6-tetrathiocan, 3,3,8,8-Tetramethyl-1,2,5,6- tetrathiocan, 5,5-Dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrathian und 2-Methyl-1,2-propandithiol als Naturstoffe identifiziert und die Konformationen einiger dieser Verbindungen bestimmt werden. Darüber hinaus wurden Hinweise auf die Biosynthese zwischen dem Dithiolan und den zyklischen Polysulfiden erhalten. Aus den Extrakten von Brevibacter linens konnten zahlreiche methylverzweigte, ungesättigte Kohlenwasserstoffe identifiziert werden, deren Biosynthese mit der Verfütterung von 3,3,4,4,4-Pentadeutero-2-methylbutansäure aufgeklärt werden konnte. Dabei wurden Beweise für eine Kopf-Kopf-Verknüpfung zweier Fettsäuren ähnlich einer Claissen-Kondensation nach Albro erhalten und die Konfiguration der Doppelbindungen der Kohlenwasserstoffe ermittelt. In dem terrestrischen Myxobakterium Stigmatella aurantiaca wurden Imidazolderivate nachgewiesen, deren genaue Struktur in dieser Arbeit nicht ermittelt werden konnte. Es konnte jedoch eine Teilstruktur des Naturstoffes bewiesen und ein plausibler Strukturvorschlag ermittelt werden.The marine natural compound research raised more and more interest during the last decades. More than 100 extracts, mostly marine bacteria like Cytophaga sp., Brevibacter linens, Actinomyces, Streptomyces, but also terrestrial strains like Stigmatella aurantiaca were analysed by gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses in this work. Besides already known compounds, many unknown were found. In Cytophaga 4,4-dimethyl-1,2,3-trithiolane, 4,4,6,6-tetramethyl- 1,2,5-trithiepane, 3,3,7,7-tetramethyl-1,2,5-trithiepane, 3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,2,5-trithiepane, 3,3,7,7-tetramethyl- 1,2,5,6-tetrathiocane, 3,3,8,8-tetramethyl-1,2,5,6-tetrathiocane, 5,5-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrathiane and 2-methyl-1,2- propandithiole were identified as natural compounds and conformational studies were done for some of these polysulfides. In addition, indications of the biosynthesis between the dithiolane and the cyclic polysulfides were found. In the extracts of Brevibacter linens many methyl branched, unsaturated hydrocarbons were identified and their biosynthesis were analysed by the feeding of 3,3,4,4,4-pentadeutero-2-methylbutyric acid. Evidence for a head-to-head condensation published by Albro, similar to a Claissen-Condensation, were found and the configurations of the double bonds of the hydrocarbons were identified. In the terrestrial Myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca different Imidazole compounds were identified, but the exact structure could not be determined in this work. The substructures of these natural compounds were identified and a plausible structure was suggested

Analysis of phosphorus migration into soil profiles fertilized with struvite

The focus of the present study was on phosphorus migration into soil profile fertilized with struvite with various doses (0.0 g – control, 0.1 g, 0.5 g and 1.0 g). Lysimeter examinations were carried out in 3 columns which modelled 3 levels of soil washing (10, 20 and 30 cm) for each soil mixture with specific struvite doses. Each experiment consisted in flushing water through a column filled with a mixture, with an amount modelling the average annual rainfall for the area of the city of Czestochowa, Poland, adopted at the level of 650 mm. The tests were conducted for 12 days, with simulation of monthly rainfall performed on each day. The phosphorus content was analyzed in the leachate. It was found based on the results that the amount of leached phosphorus was directly connected with the struvite dose in the mixture. The highest phosphorus concentrations were observed at the level of 20 cm of the height of soil profile for the dose of 0.1 g struvite. In the case of the higher struvite doses, i.e. 1.0 g, the highest concentration was found for the height of 30 cm. A decline in concentration of the leached phosphorus was observed after the sixth sampling of the eluate, which resulted from leaching the soil profile with simulated annual rainfall amount

Complement activation by carbon nanotubes and its influence on the phagocytosis and cytokine response by macrophages

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have promised a range of applications in biomedicine. Although influenced by the dispersants used, CNTs are recognized by the innate immune system, predominantly by the classical pathway of the complement system. Here, we confirm that complement activation by the CNT used continues up to C3 and C5, indicating that the entire complement system is activated including the formation of membrane-attack complexes. Using recombinant forms of the globular regions of human C1q (gC1q) as inhibitors of CNT-mediated classical pathway activation, we show that C1q, the first recognition subcomponent of the classical pathway, binds CNTs via the gC1q domain. Complement opsonisation of CNTs significantly enhances their uptake by U937 cells, with concomitant downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and up-regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines in both U937 cells and human monocytes. We propose that CNT-mediated complement activation may cause recruitment of cellular infiltration, followed by phagocytosis without inducing a pro-inflammatory immune response. From the Clinical Editor: This study highlights the importance of the complement system in response to carbon nanontube administration, suggesting that the ensuing complement activation may cause recruitment of cellular infiltration, followed by phagocytosis without inducing a pro-inflammatory immune response

Thermal imaging study to determine the operational condition of a conveyor belt drive system structure

The paper discusses the results of a study carried out to determine the thermal condition of a conveyor power unit using a thermal imaging camera. The tests covered conveyors in the main haulage system carrying coal from a longwall. The measurements were taken with a thermal imaging diagnostic method which measures infrared radiation emitted by an object. This technology provides a means of assessing the imminence and severity of a possible failure or damage. The method is a non-contact measuring technique and offers great advantages in an underground mine. The thermograms were analysed by comparing the temperature distribution. An analysis of the operating time of the conveyors was also carried out and the causes of the thermal condition were determined. The main purpose of the research was to detect changes in thermal state during the operation of a belt conveyor that could indicate failure and permit early maintenance and eliminate the chance of a fire. The article also discusses the construction and principle of operation of a thermal imaging camera. The findings obtained from the research analysis on determining the thermal condition of the conveyor drive unit are a valuable source of information for the mine's maintenance service.Web of Science1411art. no. 325

Preference for Safe Over Risky Options in Binge Eating.

Binge eating has been usually viewed as a loss of control and an impulsive behavior. But, little is known about the actual behavior of binging patients (prevalently women) in terms of basic decision-making under risk or under uncertainty. In healthy women, stressful cues bias behavior for safer options, raising the question of whether food cues that are perceived as threatening by binging patients may modulate patients' behaviors towards safer options. A cross-sectional study was conducted with binging patients (20 bulimia nervosa (BN) and 23 anorexia nervosa binging (ANB) patients) and two control groups (22 non-binging restrictive (ANR) anorexia nervosa patients and 20 healthy participants), without any concomitant impulsive disorder. We assessed decisions under risk with a gambling task with known probabilities and decisions under uncertainty with the balloon analog risk taking task (BART) with unknown probabilities of winning, in three cued-conditions including neutral, binge food and stressful cues. In the gambling task, binging and ANR patients adopted similar safer attitudes and coherently elicited a higher aversion to losses when primed by food as compared to neutral cues. This held true for BN and ANR patients in the BART. After controlling for anxiety level, these safer attitudes in the food condition were similar to the ones under stress. In the BART, ANB patients exhibited a higher variability in their choices in the food compared to neutral condition. This higher variability was associated with higher difficulties to discard irrelevant information. All these results suggest that decision-making under risk and under uncertainty is not fundamentally altered in all these patients

Klimaprojektionen, Luftverschmutzung und Belastungsgrenzen von Ökosystemen: Klimawandel, Luftverschmutzung und ökologische Belastungsgrenzen von Ökosystemen im polnisch-sächsischen Grenzraum

Im Rahmen des regionalen Klimaprojektes KLAPS werden Klimawandel, Luftverschmutzung und ökologische Belastungsgrenzen im polnisch-sächsischen Grenzraum untersucht. Mit dem vorliegenden Bericht liegt eine umfassende Analyse über die zukünftig mögliche klimatische und lufthygienische Entwicklung bis zum Jahr 2100 vor. Aufbauend auf den projizierten Klima- und Emissionsszenarien werden sowohl die Entwicklung als auch Überschreitung von Belastungsgrenzen von Ökosystemen (Critical Load) dargestellt. Redaktionsschluss: 30.10.201

Does neurocognitive training have the potential to improve dietary self-care in type 2 diabetes? Study protocol of a double blind randomised controlled trial

Dietary self-care is a key element of self-management in type 2 diabetes. It is also the most difficult aspect of diabetes self-management. Adhering to long-term dietary goals and resisting immediate food desires requires top-down inhibitory control over subcortical impulsive and emotional responses to food. Practising simple neurocognitive tasks can improve inhibitory control and health behaviours that depend on inhibitory control, such as resisting alcohol consumption. It is yet to be investigated, however, whether neurocognitive training can improve dietary self-care in people with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to investigate whether web-based neurocognitive training can improve the ability of people with type 2 diabetes to resist tempting foods and better adhere to a healthy dietary regime

Hierarchisierung von Risikofaktoren für schwere COVID-19-Erkrankungsverläufe im Kontext der COVID-19-Schutzimpfungen

Angesichts der derzeitigen Impfstoffknappheit geht mit den bundesweiten Schutzimpfungen gegen COVID-19 die Notwendigkeit einer Priorisierung bestimmter Bevölkerungsgruppen einher. Basierend auf den Empfehlungen der STIKO sollen zunächst Personen mit besonders hohem Risiko für schwere oder tödliche COVID-19-Verläufe oder beruflicher Exposition geimpft werden. Diese Empfehlungen stützen sich überwiegend auf internationale Studien - für den deutschen Versorgungskontext steht nur begrenzt Evidenz zur Bedeutung relevanter Risikofaktoren für einen schweren COVID-19-Verlauf zur Verfügung. Das Ziel der im Epidemiologischen Bulletin 19/2021 vorgestellten Studie war es, die Relevanz ausgewählter Vorerkrankungen für einen schweren COVID-19-Verlauf in der in Deutschland lebenden Bevölkerung empirisch zu überprüfen, Erkrankungen hinsichtlich ihres Risikos für einen schweren COVID-19-Verlauf zu ordnen und damit eine einfache, im Versorgungsalltag unkompliziert umsetzbare und dabei möglichst effektive Grundlage für die Impfrangfolge in der ambulanten ärztlichen Versorgung bilden