Assessing financial and flexibility incentives for integrating wind energy in the grid via agent-based modeling

This article provides an agent-based model of a hypothetical standalone electricity network to identify how the feed-in tariffs and the installed capacity of wind power, calculated in percentage of total system demand, affect the electricity consumption from renewables. It includes the mechanism of electricity pricing on the Day Ahead Market (DAM) and the Imbalance Market (IM). The extra production volumes of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources (RES-E) and the flexibility of electrical consumption of industries is provided as reserves on the IM. Five thousand simulations were run by using the agent-based model to gather data that were then fit in linear regression models. This helped to quantify the effect of feed-in tariffs and installed capacity of wind power on the consumption from renewable energy and market prices. The consumption from renewable sources, expressed as percentage of total system consumption, increased by 8.17% for every 10% increase in installed capacity of wind power. The sharpest increase in renewable energy consumption is observed when a feed-in tariff of 0.04 €/kWh is provided to the wind farm owners, resulting in an average increase of 9.1% and 5.1% in the consumption from renewable sources while the maximum installed capacity of wind power is 35% and 100%, respectively. The regression model for the annualized DAM prices showed an increase by 0.01 €cents/kWh in the DAM prices for every 10% increase in the installed wind power capacity. With every increase of 0.01 €/kWh in the value of feed-in tariffs, the mean DAM price is lowered as compared to the previous value of the feed-in tariff. DAM prices only decrease with increasing installed wind capacity when a feed-in tariff of 0.04 €/kWh is provided. This is observed because all wind power being traded on DAM at a very cheap price. Hence, no volume of electricity is being stored for availability on IM. The regression models for predicting IM prices show that, with every 10% increase in installed capacity of wind power, the annualized IM price decreases by 0.031 and 0.34 €cents/kWh, when installed capacity of wind power is between 0 and 25%, and between 25 and 100%, respectively. The models also showed that, until the maximum installed capacity of wind power is less than 25%, the IM prices increase when the value of feed-in tariff is 0.01 and 0.04 €/kWh, but decrease for a feed-in tariff of 0.02 and 0.03 €/kWh. When installed capacity of wind power is between 25 and 100%, increasing feed-in tariffs to the value of 0.03 €/kWh result in lowering the mean IM price. However, at 0.04 €/kWh, the mean IM price is higher, showing the effect of no storage reserves being available on IM and more expensive reserves being engaged on the IM. The study concludes that the effect of increasing installed capacity of wind power is more significant on increasing consumption of renewable energy and decreasing the DAM and IM prices than the effect of feed-in tariffs. However, the effect of increasing values of both factors on the profit of RES-E producers with storage facilities is not positive, pointing to the need for customized rules and incentives to encourage their market participation and investment in storage facilities

Assessing financial and flexibility incentives for integrating wind energy in the grid via agent-based modeling

This article provides an agent-based model of a hypothetical standalone electricity network to identify how the feed-in tariffs and the installed capacity of wind power, calculated in percentage of total system demand, affect the electricity consumption from renewables. It includes the mechanism of electricity pricing on the Day Ahead Market (DAM) and the Imbalance Market (IM). The extra production volumes of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources (RES-E) and the flexibility of electrical consumption of industries is provided as reserves on the IM. Five thousand simulations were run by using the agent-based model to gather data that were then fit in linear regression models. This helped to quantify the effect of feed-in tariffs and installed capacity of wind power on the consumption from renewable energy and market prices. The consumption from renewable sources, expressed as percentage of total system consumption, increased by 8.17% for every 10% increase in installed capacity of wind power. The sharpest increase in renewable energy consumption is observed when a feed-in tariff of 0.04 €/kWh is provided to the wind farm owners, resulting in an average increase of 9.1% and 5.1% in the consumption from renewable sources while the maximum installed capacity of wind power is 35% and 100%, respectively. The regression model for the annualized DAM prices showed an increase by 0.01 €cents/kWh in the DAM prices for every 10% increase in the installed wind power capacity. With every increase of 0.01 €/kWh in the value of feed-in tariffs, the mean DAM price is lowered as compared to the previous value of the feed-in tariff. DAM prices only decrease with increasing installed wind capacity when a feed-in tariff of 0.04 €/kWh is provided. This is observed because all wind power being traded on DAM at a very cheap price. Hence, no volume of electricity is being stored for availability on IM. The regression models for predicting IM prices show that, with every 10% increase in installed capacity of wind power, the annualized IM price decreases by 0.031 and 0.34 €cents/kWh, when installed capacity of wind power is between 0 and 25%, and between 25 and 100%, respectively. The models also showed that, until the maximum installed capacity of wind power is less than 25%, the IM prices increase when the value of feed-in tariff is 0.01 and 0.04 €/kWh, but decrease for a feed-in tariff of 0.02 and 0.03 €/kWh. When installed capacity of wind power is between 25 and 100%, increasing feed-in tariffs to the value of 0.03 €/kWh result in lowering the mean IM price. However, at 0.04 €/kWh, the mean IM price is higher, showing the effect of no storage reserves being available on IM and more expensive reserves being engaged on the IM. The study concludes that the effect of increasing installed capacity of wind power is more significant on increasing consumption of renewable energy and decreasing the DAM and IM prices than the effect of feed-in tariffs. However, the effect of increasing values of both factors on the profit of RES-E producers with storage facilities is not positive, pointing to the need for customized rules and incentives to encourage their market participation and investment in storage facilities

Bond Strength of White Mineral Trioxide Aggregate with and without Disodium Hydrogen Phosphate with Different Liquid-to-Powder Ratios

Introduction: Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) can be used in the treatment of irritated vital pulp and repair of root perforations. However, the initial reaction of inflammatory cells to this material and also its setting time are not ideal. Studies have shown that disodium hydrogen phosphate (DHP), decreases the setting time of MTA, with no effect on its pH. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of DHP on push-out bond strength of MTA at different liquid-to-powder ratios. Methods and Materials: A total of 120 samples were prepared from the middle third of the roots of single-rooted teeth for evaluation of push-out bond strength. The push-out bond strength was measured in both groups after 72 h at different liquid-to-powder ratios, including 0.33:1, 0.5:1 and 0.6:1. Factorial ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD post-hoc tests were used to compare the differences between the independent groups. Statistical significant was set at P<0.05. Results: The push-out bond strengths of pure MTA and MTA+DHP groups were 10.96±5.78 and 13.32±5.03, respectively. Tukey’s HSD post-hoc test revealed significant differences between the two groups. Furthermore, there were no interactive effect between material and the liquid: powder ratio. Conclusion: Incorporation of DHP into MTA resulted in an increase in push-out bond strength of MTA, and an increase in liquid-to-powder ratio resulted in a decrease in push-out bond strength.Keywords: Disodium Hydrogen Phosphate; Mineral Trioxide Aggregate; Push-Out Test; Root Canal Filling Materials; Root Canal Therapy

A new fuzzy design for switching gain adaptation of sliding mode controller for a wind energy conversion system using a doubly fed induction generator

The paper proposes a newrobust fuzzy gain adaptation of the sliding mode (SMC) power control strategy for the wind energy conversion system (WECS), based on a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), to maximize the power extracted from the wind turbine (WT). The sliding mode controller can deal with any wind speed, ingrained nonlinearities in the system, external disturbances and model uncertainties, yet the chattering phenomenon that characterizes classical SMC can be destructive. This problem is suitably lessened by adopting adaptive fuzzy-SMC. For this proposed approach, the adaptive switching gains are adjusted by a supervisory fuzzy logic system, so the chattering impact is avoided. Moreover, the vector control of the DFIG as well as the presented one have been used to achieve the control of reactive and active power of the WECS to make the wind turbine adaptable to diverse constraints. Several numerical simulations are performed to assess the performance of the proposed control scheme. The results show robustness against parameter variations, excellent response characteristics with a reduced chattering phenomenon as compared with classical SMC

INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF CONSTRUCTION, ARCHITECTS AND INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF MAZANDARAN PROVINCE

Abstract. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance of construction, architecture and industrial companies in the municipalities of Mazandaran province. This research is descriptive-correlative method and is of applied research type. The statistical population of the study consisted of all construction, architectural and industrial companies in the municipalities of Mazandaran province during 2013 to 2017, in which 50 companies were studied. The data of the research were extracted from the financial statements of the companies and analyzed using regression models using combination data. The research findings showedthat there is a positive and significant relationship between corporate social capital and asset returns and earnings per share of companies, and there is not a significant relationship between corporate social capitals with equity returns.Keywords: Social Responsibility, Financial Performance, Returns on Assets, Return on Equity, Earnings perShare

Evaluation objective d'algorithmes de segmentation de l'intervalle RT

Nous menons dans cette communication une comparaison objective entre trois approches dédiées à l'estimation de la durée de la phase de repolarisation des ventricules, qui correspond à l'intervalle RT du signal électrocardiographique (ECG). La première méthode s'appuie sur le calcul d'une dérivée lissée du signal pour extraire les points caractéristiques de l'ECG, la deuxième se fonde, pour la recherche de ces points, sur une représentation temps-échelle alors que la troisième repose sur une modélisation inspirée des processus physiologiques qui sont à la base du signal cardiaque. Globalement les résultats montre que cette dernière méthode semble donner les performances les plus stables

Response to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Cardiomyopathy Patients with Right Bundle Branch Block

Background: The use of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in heart failure patients with right bundle branch block (RBBB) is under debate. We present early and late echocardiographic characteristics of a series of heart failure patients with RBBB who underwent CRT.  Methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, 18 patients with RBBB in the surface electrocardiogram underwent CRT between 2005 and 2015. All the patients had the New York Heart Association functional class III/IV, a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%, and a QRS duration ≥120 milliseconds. The median follow-up duration was 19 months. The echocardiographic response was based on a ≥5% increase in LVEF.  Results: Within 48 hours after CRT implantation, LVEF increased from 24.58%±7.08% before to 28.46±8.91% after CRT (P=0.005) and to 30.00±9.44% at follow-up (P=0.008). Among the 18 patients, 12 (66.7%) were responders within 48 hours after CRT. The following baseline echocardiographic parameters were higher in the responders than in those without an increased LVEF, although the difference did not reach statistical significance: septal-to-lateral wall delay (48.33±33.53 vs 43.33±38.82 ms), anteroseptal-to-posterior wall delay (41.7±1.75 vs 38.33±18.35 ms), and interventricular mechanical delay (48.50±21.13 vs 31.17±19.93 ms). The mean QRS duration was higher in the responders than in the non-responders (183.58±40.69 vs 169.00±27.36 ms). Death was reported in 3 out of the 18 patients (16.7%) at follow-up. The 3 deceased patients had a higher baseline interventricular mechanical delay than those who survived.  Conclusion: Our results indicated that patients with RBBB might benefit from CRT. Further, patients with higher intra and interventricular dyssynchrony and a wider QRS may show better responses

Assessment of vitamin D status and parathyroid hormone during a combined intervention for the treatment of childhood obesity

Background: Obesity is associated with vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this work is to analyze the changes in vitamin D status and PTH levels in a group of children with obesity receiving combined intervention program in order to get BMI status reduction. Methods: Longitudinal study in 119 children with obesity, aged 9.1–13.9 years, included in a 1-year combined dietarybehavioral-physical activity intervention. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, BMI and fat mass index) were registered every 3 months and blood testing (calcium, phosphorous, 25(OH)D and PTH) were collected at the beginning and after 12 months of follow-up. A control group was recruited (300 healthy children, aged 8.1–13.9 years). The criteria of the US Endocrine Society were used for the definition of hypovitaminosis D. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in obesity group (31.1 vs. 14%). There was negative correlation between 25(OH)D and fat mass index (r = −0.361, p = 0.001). Patients with BMI reduction throughout combined intervention were 52 (43.7%). There was a significant increase in the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients without BMI reduction at the end of follow-up, but in those patients with BMI reduction there was no changes of vitamin D status. Conclusions: Obesity increases the prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D status, and a BMI status reduction in children with obesity may be required to at least stabilize vitamin D status