DER Pricing Power in the Presence of Multi-Location Consumers with Load Migration Capabilities

Renewable distributed energy resources (DERs) have the potential to provide multi-location electricity consumers (MLECs) with electricity at prices lower than those offered by the grid using behind-the-meter advantages. This study examines the pricing power of such DER owners in a local environment with few competitors and how it depends on the MLEC's ability to migrate a portion of the load between locations. We simulate a dynamic game between an MLEC and the local DER owners, where the MLEC is modeled as a cost-minimizer and the DER owners as strategic profit maximizers. We show that, when the MLEC is inflexible, the DER owners' optimal behavior is to offer their electricity close to maximal prices, that is, at the grid price level. However, when the MLEC can migrate a fraction of the load to the other locations, the prices offered by the DER owners quickly decrease to the minimum level, that is, the DERs' grid feed-in tariffs quickly decrease to a lower level, depending on the load migration capability

Development of a broadcasting concept on the basis of spectator analysis results

Diese Bachelorarbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Verhältnis der Einschaltquoten zu den einzelnen Präsenzen der entsprechenden TV-Formate auf ihren Social Media-Kanälen. Darüber hinaus gibt es einen Überblick über die Entwicklung des Fernsehens und eine Erläuterung der Trends des Internets. Das Ergebnis dieser Arbeit soll dem neuen Format „zwei UNTERWEGS“ eine Möglichkeit darlegen, wie sie durch Hilfe der einzelnen Kanäle eine derartige Präsenz erhalten, dass sie für Fernsehsender attraktiv sind

Accelerometry-Based Step Count Validation for Horse Movement Analysis During Stall Confinement

Quantitative tracking of equine movement during stall confinement has the potential to detect subtle changes in mobility due to injury. These changes may warn of potential complications, providing vital information to direct rehabilitation protocols. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are readily available and easily attached to a limb or surcingle to objectively record step count in horses. The objectives of this study were: (1) to compare IMU-based step counts to a visually-based criterion measure (video) for three different types of movements in a stall environment, and (2) to compare three different sensor positions to determine the ideal location on the horse to assess movement. An IMU was attached at the withers, right forelimb and hindlimb of six horses to assess free-movement, circles, and figure-eights recorded in 5 min intervals and to determine the best location, through analysis of all three axes of the triaxial accelerometer, for step count during stall confinement. Mean step count difference, absolute error (%) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were determined to assess the sensor's ability to track steps compared to the criterion measure. When comparing sensor location for all movement conditions, the right-forelimb vertical-axis produced the best results (ICC = 1.0, % error = 6.8, mean step count difference = 1.3) followed closely by the right-hindlimb (ICC = 0.999, % error = 15.2, mean step count difference = 1.8). Limitations included the small number of horse participants and the lack of random selection due to limited availability and accessibility. Overall, the findings demonstrate excellent levels of agreement between the IMU's vertical axis and the video-based criterion at the forelimb and hindlimb locations for all movement conditions

Highly sensitive liquid biopsy Duplex sequencing complements tissue biopsy to enhance detection of clinically relevant genetic variants

BackgroundLiquid biopsy (LB) is a promising complement to tissue biopsy for detection of clinically relevant genetic variants in cancer and mosaic diseases. A combined workflow to enable parallel tissue and LB analysis is required to maximize diagnostic yield for patients.MethodsWe developed and validated a cost-efficient combined next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflow for both tissue and LB samples, and applied Duplex sequencing technology for highly accurate detection of low frequency variants in plasma. Clinically relevant cutoffs for variant reporting and quantification were established.ResultsWe investigated assay performance characteristics for very low amounts of clinically relevant variants. In plasma, the assay achieved 100% sensitivity and 92.3% positive predictive value (PPV) for single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 91.7% sensitivity and 100% PPV for insertions and deletions (InDel) in clinically relevant hotspots with 0.5-5% variant allele frequencies (VAFs). We further established a cutoff for reporting variants (i.e. Limit of Blank, LOB) at 0.25% VAF and a cutoff for quantification (i.e. Limit of Quantification, LOQ) at 5% VAF in plasma for accurate clinical interpretation of analysis results. With our LB approach, we were able to identify the molecular cause of a clinically confirmed asymmetric overgrowth syndrome in a 10-year old child that would have remained undetected with tissue analysis as well as other molecular diagnostic approaches.ConclusionOur flexible and cost-efficient workflow allows analysis of both tissue and LB samples and provides clinically relevant cutoffs for variant reporting and precise quantification. Complementing tissue analysis by LB is likely to increase diagnostic yield for patients with molecular diseases

The ocean sampling day consortium.

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world's oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Evolution of a Core Gene Network for Skeletogenesis in Chordates

The skeleton is one of the most important features for the reconstruction of vertebrate phylogeny but few data are available to understand its molecular origin. In mammals the Runt genes are central regulators of skeletogenesis. Runx2 was shown to be essential for osteoblast differentiation, tooth development, and bone formation. Both Runx2 and Runx3 are essential for chondrocyte maturation. Furthermore, Runx2 directly regulates Indian hedgehog expression, a master coordinator of skeletal development. To clarify the correlation of Runt gene evolution and the emergence of cartilage and bone in vertebrates, we cloned the Runt genes from hagfish as representative of jawless fish (MgRunxA, MgRunxB) and from dogfish as representative of jawed cartilaginous fish (ScRunx1–3). According to our phylogenetic reconstruction the stem species of chordates harboured a single Runt gene and thereafter Runt locus duplications occurred during early vertebrate evolution. All newly isolated Runt genes were expressed in cartilage according to quantitative PCR. In situ hybridisation confirmed high MgRunxA expression in hard cartilage of hagfish. In dogfish ScRunx2 and ScRunx3 were expressed in embryonal cartilage whereas all three Runt genes were detected in teeth and placoid scales. In cephalochordates (lancelets) Runt, Hedgehog and SoxE were strongly expressed in the gill bars and expression of Runt and Hedgehog was found in endo- as well as ectodermal cells. Furthermore we demonstrate that the lancelet Runt protein binds to Runt binding sites in the lancelet Hedgehog promoter and regulates its activity. Together, these results suggest that Runt and Hedgehog were part of a core gene network for cartilage formation, which was already active in the gill bars of the common ancestor of cephalochordates and vertebrates and diversified after Runt duplications had occurred during vertebrate evolution. The similarities in expression patterns of Runt genes support the view that teeth and placoid scales evolved from a homologous developmental module

Monsoons: global energetics and local physics as drivers of past, present and future monsoons

Global constraints on momentum and energy govern the structure of the zonal mean tropical circulation and rainfall. The continental-scale monsoon systems are also facets of a momentum- and energy-constrained global circulation, but their modern and paleo variability deviates substantially from that of the longitudinal mean through mechanisms neither fully understood nor well simulated. A framework grounded in global constraints yet encompassing the complexities of monsoon dynamics is needed to identify the causes of mismatch between theory, models, and observations and, ultimately, improve regional climate projection. In a first step towards this goal, disparate regional processes must be distilled into gross measures of energy flow in and out of continents and from the surface to the tropopause, so that monsoon dynamics may be coherently diagnosed across modern and paleo observations and across idealized and comprehensive simulations. Accounting for zonal asymmetries in the circulation, land/ocean differences in surface fluxes, and the character of convective systems, such a monsoon framework would integrate our understanding at all relevant scales: from the fine details of how moisture and energy are lifted in the updrafts of thunderclouds, up to the global circulations

The Ocean Sampling Day Consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Drug-Induced Acute Kidney Injury Cases

Introduction Drug-induced acute kidney injury (DI-AKI) is a frequent adverse event. The identification of DI-AKI is challenged by competing etiologies, clinical heterogeneity among patients, and a lack of accurate diagnostic tools. Our research aims to describe the clinical characteristics and predictive variables of DI-AKI. Methods We analyzed data from the DIRECT study (NCT02159209), an international, multi-center, observational cohort study of enriched clinically adjudicated DI-AKI cases. Cases met the primary inclusion criteria if the patient was exposed to at least one nephrotoxic drug for a minimum of 24 hours prior to acute kidney injury (AKI) onset. Cases were clinically adjudicated and inter-rater reliability (IRR) was measured using Krippendorff's alpha. Variables associated with DI-AKI were identified using L1 regularized multivariable logistic regression. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC). Results 314 AKI cases met the eligibility criteria for this analysis, and 271 (86%) cases were adjudicated as DI-AKI. The majority of the AKI cases were recruited from the United States (68%). The most frequent causal nephrotoxic drugs were vancomycin (48.7%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (18.2%), and piperacillin/tazobactam (17.8%). The IRR for DI-AKI adjudication was 0.309. The multivariable model identified age, vascular capacity, hyperglycemia, infections, pyuria, serum creatinine trends, and contrast media as significant predictors of DI-AKI with good performance, ROC AUC 0.86. Conclusions The identification of DI-AKI is challenging even with comprehensive adjudication by experienced nephrologists. Our analysis identified key clinical characteristics and outcomes of DI-AKI compared to other AKI etiologies