General equilibrium analysis of technology advancements

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)-- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-60).The residential sector in the U.S. is responsible for about 20% of the country's primary energy use (EIA, 2011). Studies estimate that efficiency improvements in this sector can reduce household energy consumption by over 25% by 2020 (McKinsey Global Energy and Materials, 2009). In this thesis, given the increasing amount of attention that both policy-makers and industry are giving to residential energy use, I examine the implications of end-use electrification and efficiency improvements in households. In particular, I focus on high efficiency electric technologies for heating and cooling (referred to as HVAC) needs. Advancements in technologies such as heat pumps are beginning to make the economic case for switching from end-uses of gas to end-uses of electricity in the residential sector. I examine the implications of such end-use electrification, ranging from its impact on energy consumption to its contribution to the abatement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. I use the MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model, a computable general equilibrium model, to analyze the research question. The EPPA model captures full economy-wide impacts of policy mandates and technology changes. First, I added further detail to household energy consumption in the model. Then, I introduced technology changes corresponding to advanced electric technologies for residential heating and cooling and tested their impact with policies that either support or inhibit their entry into the marketplace. I find two interesting results from the analysis. First, if policies are enacted to support advanced electric HVAC technologies, they displace end-uses of gas and increase household electricity consumption. Second, household end-use electrification in the U.S. leads to an increase in overall emissions in the economy, given that the overall emissions of any electric appliance depend not only on the end-use efficiency of the appliance but also on the efficiency of generating and distributing electricity. Thus, end use electrification only helps in emissions abatement if the power sector becomes less carbon intensive.by Tanvir Singh Madan.S.M.in Technology and Polic

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Wall Street Project

The goal of this project was to reduce risks from the applications of the Index Quant team at Deutsche Bank. Because their Index Calculator project is frequently updated, it is important to continuously build the project and check for regression errors. Our task was to deploy and use various existing tools to create both a continuous build system and an automated testing system for this project. By using these tools, we created a comprehensive build system to automatically run the build and the regression tests whenever a change is made to the project code

The Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle: Proliferation and Impact on Society and the Environment

This report analyzes the impact and predicts the success of the implementation of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Massachusetts. It is an expansion upon the group's April report, submitted by Kazim Naqvi and Timothy Yee. - This report expands and analyzes the oil market and determines how PHEVs will bring about a change in oil consumption and oil prices. It also addresses the environmental concern and whether PHEV's will curb or add to the current level of CO2 emissions

Impact of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles on the Local Electric Grid

The following document has been prepared in partial fulfillment of the requirements as a Bachelor of Science at WPI. The authors, Kazim Naqvi and Timothy Yee, are submitting this document as an IQP/MQP in lieu of the above mentioned requirements. The authors will address the possible impact of the advent of Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles in Massachusetts for National Grid. The authors will be utilizing Systems Dynamics Modeling as the basis for experimentation. The results of various modeling, research, and sensitivity exercises conducted during the course of this project show that PHEV's do take off and attain a sustainable value, as was the desired outcome. The impact on National Grid is minimal and the daily electric demand variation does not change significantly

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality