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Climate change is posing significant threats to human beings. Deploying renewable energy sources in electricity generation is widely accepted as an indispensable part of the solution to climate change. The vast potential lies in variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. However, the intermittency of variable renewable energy sources is limiting their deployment. Investing in grid-scale battery systems is a potential solution to this problem. This thesis investigates this potential for the Nordic power sector, taking into account its distinct features, e.g., the vast amount of hydro reservoirs. Taking the capacities of variable renewable energy and battery systems as endogenous variables while considering the salient characteristics of the Nordic power sector, this thesis answers the following research question: How could variable renewable energy investment be supported by complementary investment in grid-scale battery systems to maximise social welfare? Answering this question helps solve the unaddressed research problem of assessing endogenous investment decisions in the capacities of variable renewable energy generation and grid-scale battery systems in the Nordic power market. This, in turn, helps informed decision-making in renewable-energy and energystorage investments to facilitate the realisation of the climate goal. Two experiments are conducted: one with ordinary BESS costs estimation and another assuming a lower-end level of costs. The data come from documents from official statistics (e.g., those from Nord Pool) and peer-reviewed publications. A quadratic programming optimisation model is used to maximise social welfare. Problem instances are then solved using the CPLEX solver implemented in the GAMS software. The results suggest that investing in BESS capacity helps to promote VRE adoption and VRE generation. Consequently, CO2 emission is reduced, and consumer surplus is improved, whereas the total social welfare remains unaffected.

kein Abstract verfügbar, + ID der Publikation: hslu_99004 + Art des Beitrages: Bericht + Sprache: Deutsch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2023-08-09 17:38:13

kein Abstract verfügbar, + ID der Publikation: hslu_97652 + Art des Beitrages: Bericht + Sprache: Deutsch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2023-05-30 14:22:48

Mit COVIAGE (2014–2017) und SELODY (2019– 2021) wurden in der jüngeren Vergangenheit bereits zwei wissenschaftliche Studien zum Einfluss einer Sehbeeinträchtigung auf die Alltagsbewältigung und Lebensgestaltung publiziert. Während sich COVIAGE dem «Erfolgsrezept» des erfolgreichen Alterns widmete, konzentrierte sich SELODY auf die Auswirkungen einer Sehbeeinträchtigung auf die Partnerschaft. In einer Studie an der ZHAW machten wir sprichwörtlich einen Schritt zurück und rückten den Erblindungsprozess in den Fokus, ohne uns dabei auf eine Altersgruppe oder einen Lebensbereich zu beschränken. Mithilfe sog. Erzählinterviews wurde untersucht, mit (a) welchen Herausforderungen Menschen im Prozess des Sehverlusts konfrontiert sind und (b) welche Ressourcen deren Bewältigung erleichtern. Die Studienergebnisse sollen u. a. Fachpersonen und Angehörige dabei unterstützen, ein Verständnis für die Erlebniswelt sehbeeinträchtigter Menschen zu entwickeln. An unserer Studie nahmen 12 Menschen im Alter von 23 bis 80 Jahren teil, welche aufgrund einer degenerativen Augenerkrankung hochgradig sehbeeinträchtigt oder erblindet waren. Im Unterschied zu den beiden Vorgängerstudien mussten die Teilnehmenden weder einen Fragebogen ausfüllen noch auf die Fragen eines Interviewleitfadens antworten. Stattdessen wurden sie dazu eingeladen, ihre persönliche Geschichte des Sehverlusts zu erzählen, ohne dabei unterbrochen zu werden. Dadurch erhielten die Teilnehmenden Gestaltungsfreiheit in der Schilderung der eigenen Erfahrungen. Die Ergebnisinterpretation profitierte von den verschiedenen Perspektiven einer erblindeten Studentin und eines sehenden Studenten. Präsentiert werden nachfolgend exemplarisch Herausforderungen und Ressourcen zu vier Themenfeldern. Mithilfe echter Zitate aus den Interviews werden theoretische Inhalte anschaulich und lebendig. Die beiden fiktiven Figuren Alexandra und Kai stehen dabei stellvertretend für die Gesamtstichprobe.

+ ID der Publikation: hslu_102056 + Art des Beitrages: Fachmedien + Sprache: Deutsch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2024-04-08 16:37:30

Peat soils formed in the Bernese Three Lakes Region after the last ice age. These soils were formed after the region had been subjected to a system of lakes, rivers and ponds. In these anaerobic soil conditions, carbon-rich soil accumulated and formed the peat soils of today. The soils have been turned into arable land and have undergone several water corrections in the 19th and 20th century. This change of land use has turned these soils from carbon sinks into carbon sources. The goal of this study was to determine if reconstructed peat soils emit less CO2 compared to natural peat soils. In order to do this the CO2 flux of different peat soils was measured in 10 locations across the Three Lakes Region in the Canton of Bern. The results show that there seems to be no correlation between the reconstruction of peat soils and a lower soil CO2 flux.

Since the 1960 s, our health has been compromised by exposure to over 350,000 newly introduced toxic substances, contributing to the current pandemic in allergic, autoimmune and metabolic diseases. The "Epithelial Barrier Theory" postulates that these diseases are exacerbated by persistent periepithelial inflammation (epithelitis) triggered by exposure to a wide range of epithelial barrier-damaging substances as well as genetic susceptibility. The epithelial barrier serves as the body's primary physical, chemical, and immunological barrier against external stimuli. A leaky epithelial barrier facilitates the translocation of the microbiome from the surface of the afflicted tissues to interepithelial and even deeper subepithelial locations. In turn, opportunistic bacterial colonization, microbiota dysbiosis, local inflammation and impaired tissue regeneration and remodelling follow. Migration of inflammatory cells to susceptible tissues contributes to damage and inflammation, initiating and aggravating many chronic inflammatory diseases. The objective of this review is to highlight and evaluate recent studies on epithelial physiology and its role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases in light of the epithelial barrier theory.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The superior tissue contrast of magnetic resonance (MR) compared to computed tomography (CT) led to an increasing interest towards MR-only radiotherapy. For the latter, the dose calculation should be performed on a synthetic CT (sCT). Patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) methods have not been established yet and this study aimed to assess several software-based solutions. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective study was performed on 20 patients treated at an MR-Linac, which were selected to evenly cover four subcategories: (i) standard, (ii) air pockets, (iii) lung and (iv) implant cases. The neural network (NN) CycleGAN was adopted to generate a reference sCT, which was then compared to four PSQA methods: (A) water override of body, (B) five tissue classes with bulk densities, (C) sCT generated by a separate NN (pix2pix) and (D) deformed CT. RESULTS The evaluation of the dose endpoints demonstrated that while all methods A-D provided statistically equivalent results (p = 0.05) within the 2% level for the standard cases (i), only the methods C-D guaranteed the same result over the whole cohort. The bulk densities override was shown to be a valuable method in absence of lung tissue within the beam path. CONCLUSION The observations of this study suggested that the use of an additional sCT generated by a separate NN was an appropriate tool to perform PSQA of a sCT in an MR-only workflow at an MR-Linac. The time and dose endpoints requirements were respected, namely within 10 min and 2%.

« Selon les rapports du GIEC, les risques d’impacts négatifs des changements climatiques sont très élevés (GIEC, 2022). De nombreuses régions du monde doivent déjà prendre des mesures pour faire face aux effets négatifs des changements climatiques et pour minimiser les risques de pertes et de dommages liés au climat. Par exemple, les changements climatiques peuvent entraîner la perte de vies humaines, la perte de patrimoine culturel, des dommages aux habitations ou à l’agriculture. En particulier dans les communautés de petits exploitants agricoles, ces impacts climatiques menacent de saper leurs moyens de subsistance et leur sécurité alimentaire, conduisant potentiellement à la famine et à d’autres conséquences délétères pour la survie et la stabilité sociale. Cet article explore les implications éthiques des différentes conceptions de la nécessité de s’adapter aux conditions climatiques changeantes et des mesures à prendre en cas de pertes et de dommages climatiques inévitables ou non évités (Roderick et Verheyen, 2008). [...] »