The Rise and Fall of Energy Democracy: 5 Cases of Collaborative Governance in Energy Systems

A wide range of actors are seeking to democratize energy systems. In the collaborative governance process of energy system transitions to net zero, however, many energy democracy concepts are watered down or abandoned entirely. Using five renewable energy case studies, we first explore the diversity of energy democratizing system challengers and bottom-up actors. Secondly, we analyze the role of conflict and challenges arising from the subsequent collaborative governance process and identify what appear to be blind spots in the CG literature. Our case studies on Berlin (GER), Jena (GER), Kalmar (SWE),Minneapolis (US) and Southeast England (UK) include different types of policy processes and actors. They suggest that actors championing energy democracy principles play an important role in opening participation in the early stages of collaborative energy transition governance. As collaborative governance progresses, participation tends to be increasingly restricted. We conclude that collaborative processes by themselves are insufficient in maintaining energy democracy principles in the energy transition. These require institutional embedding of participative facilitation and consensus building. The Kalmar case study as our only successful example of energy democracy suggests that a more intermediated and service-oriented approach to energy provision can create a business case for democratizing energy provision through collaborative governance

The Rise and Fall of Energy Democracy: 5 Cases of Collaborative Governance in Energy Systems

A wide range of actors are seeking to democratize energy systems. In the collaborative governance process of energy system transitions to net zero, however, many energy democracy concepts are watered down or abandoned entirely. Using five renewable energy case studies, we first explore the diversity of energy democratizing system challengers and bottom-up actors. Secondly, we analyze the role of conflict and challenges arising from the subsequent collaborative governance process and identify what appear to be blind spots in the CG literature. Our case studies on Berlin (GER), Jena (GER), Kalmar (SWE), Minneapolis (US) and Southeast England (UK) include different types of policy processes and actors. They suggest that actors championing energy democracy principles play an important role in opening participation in the early stages of collaborative energy transition governance. As collaborative governance progresses, participation tends to be increasingly restricted. We conclude that collaborative processes by themselves are insufficient in maintaining energy democracy principles in the energy transition. These require institutional embedding of participative facilitation and consensus building. The Kalmar case study as our only successful example of energy democracy suggests that a more intermediated and service-oriented approach to energy provision can create a business case for democratizing energy provision through collaborative governance

The price of tumor control: an analysis of rare side effects of anti-CTLA-4 therapy in metastatic melanoma from the ipilimumab network

Background: Ipilimumab, a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) blocking antibody, has been approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and induces adverse events (AE) in up to 64% of patients. Treatment algorithms for the management of common ipilimumab-induced AEs have lead to a reduction of morbidity, e.g. due to bowel perforations. However, the spectrum of less common AEs is expanding as ipilimumab is increasingly applied. Stringent recognition and management of AEs will reduce drug-induced morbidity and costs, and thus, positively impact the cost-benefit ratio of the drug. To facilitate timely identification and adequate management data on rare AEs were analyzed at 19 skin cancer centers. Methods and Findings: Patient files (n = 752) were screened for rare ipilimumab-associated AEs. A total of 120 AEs, some of which were life-threatening or even fatal, were reported and summarized by organ system describing the most instructive cases in detail. Previously unreported AEs like drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), granulomatous inflammation of the central nervous system, and aseptic meningitis, were documented. Obstacles included patientś delay in reporting symptoms and the differentiation of steroid-induced from ipilimumab-induced AEs under steroid treatment. Importantly, response rate was high in this patient population with tumor regression in 30.9% and a tumor control rate of 61.8% in stage IV melanoma patients despite the fact that some patients received only two of four recommended ipilimumab infusions. This suggests that ipilimumab-induced antitumor responses can have an early onset and that severe autoimmune reactions may reflect overtreatment. Conclusion: The wide spectrum of ipilimumab-induced AEs demands doctor and patient awareness to reduce morbidity and treatment costs and true ipilimumab success is dictated by both objective tumor responses and controlling severe side effects

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer Book 2018

(Abridged) This is the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer 2018 book. It is intended as a concise reference guide to all aspects of the scientific and technical design of MSE, for the international astronomy and engineering communities, and related agencies. The current version is a status report of MSE's science goals and their practical implementation, following the System Conceptual Design Review, held in January 2018. MSE is a planned 10-m class, wide-field, optical and near-infrared facility, designed to enable transformative science, while filling a critical missing gap in the emerging international network of large-scale astronomical facilities. MSE is completely dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy of samples of between thousands and millions of astrophysical objects. It will lead the world in this arena, due to its unique design capabilities: it will boast a large (11.25 m) aperture and wide (1.52 sq. degree) field of view; it will have the capabilities to observe at a wide range of spectral resolutions, from R2500 to R40,000, with massive multiplexing (4332 spectra per exposure, with all spectral resolutions available at all times), and an on-target observing efficiency of more than 80%. MSE will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and is designed to excel at precision studies of faint astrophysical phenomena. It will also provide critical follow-up for multi-wavelength imaging surveys, such as those of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Gaia, Euclid, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Next Generation Very Large Array.Comment: 5 chapters, 160 pages, 107 figure

Development and testing of a pneumatic circuit to control a 12-Unit CubeSat simulator

embargoed_20250308Low friction modules are used in aerospace systems laboratories for simulating microgravity conditions giving us the opportunity to test space instrumentation on the ground. This thesis was chosen because the sizing of high pressure pneumatic systems is in generally critical because there are many attributes that must be considered in order to better estimate the pressures needed. Furthermore, the pneumatic system uses Air-bearings, which is an innovative technology to minimize the friction between two surfaces using a nanolayer of air. That said, this thesis presents the development and testing of a pneumatic circuit and its control electronics on board of a CubeSat microgravity simulator formed by 12 cubic units. The pneumatic circuit has two main purposes: the first one is that it has to keep lift up on a glass table the entire simulator with three air bearings, the second one is to control the planar motion with sixteen propulsion nozzles. All study is based on a main requirement that is use only dry air (at 10 bar maximum) for all pneumatic circuit and no others gasses like the CO2 for example. All fluid load losses along the circuit are studied in the thesis starting from requirements of module acceleration, for the side of propulsion nozzles, and requirements of lift up for the side regarding the air bearings used for reducing the friction with the table. For the study of the sizing problem of the compressed air tank, which is the largest component of all system, requirements in terms of total floating time have been used. A Simulink model has also been developed to precisely define the working pressure of the pneumatic circuit and also to better estimate all localized and distributed load losses. The thesis concludes by documenting all the tests conducted on the operating module. The report specifically covers the results of linear and torsional acceleration tests, along with tests performed to determine the module's total floating time with all thrusters off. In these tests, the thrusts and the torques values for various combinations of Frequency, Duty-Cycle and Impulse duration of PWM control signal are obtained. The purpose of these tests is to verify the correct sizing of all the components in compliance with all the assigned project requirements.Low friction modules are used in aerospace systems laboratories for simulating microgravity conditions giving us the opportunity to test space instrumentation on the ground. This thesis was chosen because the sizing of high pressure pneumatic systems is in generally critical because there are many attributes that must be considered in order to better estimate the pressures needed. Furthermore, the pneumatic system uses Air-bearings, which is an innovative technology to minimize the friction between two surfaces using a nanolayer of air. That said, this thesis presents the development and testing of a pneumatic circuit and its control electronics on board of a CubeSat microgravity simulator formed by 12 cubic units. The pneumatic circuit has two main purposes: the first one is that it has to keep lift up on a glass table the entire simulator with three air bearings, the second one is to control the planar motion with sixteen propulsion nozzles. All study is based on a main requirement that is use only dry air (at 10 bar maximum) for all pneumatic circuit and no others gasses like the CO2 for example. All fluid load losses along the circuit are studied in the thesis starting from requirements of module acceleration, for the side of propulsion nozzles, and requirements of lift up for the side regarding the air bearings used for reducing the friction with the table. For the study of the sizing problem of the compressed air tank, which is the largest component of all system, requirements in terms of total floating time have been used. A Simulink model has also been developed to precisely define the working pressure of the pneumatic circuit and also to better estimate all localized and distributed load losses. The thesis concludes by documenting all the tests conducted on the operating module. The report specifically covers the results of linear and torsional acceleration tests, along with tests performed to determine the module's total floating time with all thrusters off. In these tests, the thrusts and the torques values for various combinations of Frequency, Duty-Cycle and Impulse duration of PWM control signal are obtained. The purpose of these tests is to verify the correct sizing of all the components in compliance with all the assigned project requirements

Je réussis en histoire

National audienceVous vous interrogez sur la formation universitaire en histoire et ses débouchés professionnels ? Ce manuel répond à vos questions et bien d'autres. Vous y trouverez :- une présentation originale de la discipline ; - des conseils concrets pour s'adapter rapidement à l'université ; - des méthodes de travail pour réussir les partiels et assurer en TD ; - un exposé des formations et des nombreux débouchés professionnels. Conçu par des enseignants expérimentés, l'ouvrage s'adresse prioritairement aux étudiants soucieux de réussir en 1re année d'histoire, mais aussi à tous ceux qui voudraient découvrir l'histoire et ses formations

Comparative Study of Chemosensory Organs of Shrimp From Hydrothermal Vent and Coastal Environments

International audienceThe detection of chemical signals is involved in a variety of crustacean behaviors, such as social interactions, search and evaluation of food and navigation in the environment. At hydrothermal vents, endemic shrimp may use the chemical signature of vent fluids to locate active edifices, however little is known on their sensory perception in these remote deep-sea habitats. Here, we present the first comparative description of the sensilla on the antennules and antennae of 4 hydrothermal vent shrimp (Rimicaris exoculata, Mirocaris fortunata, Chorocaris chacei, and Alvinocaris markensis) and of a closely related coastal shrimp (Palaemon elegans). These observations revealed no specific adaptation regarding the size or number of aesthetascs (specialized unimodal olfactory sensilla) between hydrothermal and coastal species. We also identified partial sequences of the ionotropic receptor IR25a, a co-receptor putatively involved in olfaction, in 3 coastal and 4 hydrothermal shrimp species, and showed that it is mainly expressed in the lateral flagella of the antennules that bear the unimodal chemosensilla aesthetascs

Periodic TiO2 Nanostructures with Improved Aspect and Line/Space Ratio Realized by Colloidal Photolithography Technique

International audienc