Search Results (18)

Prosumer energy storage behavior alongside national rooftop photovoltaics (RTPV) penetration metrics is essential for decarbonization pathways in buildings. A research gap persists in quantitatively assessing storage strategies under varying regulatory frameworks that integrate both technical and financial dimensions while accounting for behavioral heterogeneity and policy feedback. This study introduces a novel degradation-aware, feedback-preserving framework that optimizes behind-the-meter storage design and operation, enabling realistic modeling of prosumer responses on large-scale RTPV adoption scenarios. Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Compound Annual Growth (CAGR) models applied for the RTPV penetration rates projections in European urban contexts. The increasing rates in the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy respond to second-order regression behavior, with the former to emit signals of saturation and the latter to perform mixed anelastic and reverse elastic curves of elasticities. Accordingly, Germany, France, the United Kingdom (UK), and Greece remain in an inelastic area by 2030. The building RTPV energy storage arbitrage formulation is treated as a linear programming (LP) problem using a convex and piecewise linear cost function, a Model Predictive Control (MPC), Auto Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) and Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) statistical forecasts and rolling horizon in order to address the uncertainty of the load and the ratio κ of the sold to purchased electricity price. Weekly arbitrage gains may drop by up to 9.1% due to stochasticity, with maximized gains achieved at battery capacities between 1C and 2C. The weekly gain per cycle performs elastic, anelastic, and reverse behavior of the prosumer across the range of κ values responding to different regulatory mechanisms of pricing. The variability of economic incentives suggests the necessity of flexible energy management strategies. Full article

Background: Prostate cancer is the second most common malignant cancer among men, and according to the predictions, the estimated number of new cases will substantially grow in the coming years. Therefore, the costs of the disease will increase as well. Methods: We conducted a literature review of the state of knowledge about the costs of treatment and the economic burden of prostate cancer. The vast majority of studies were focused on direct costs only, which clearly shows the literature gap. Results: We focused on the estimates of direct costs, i.e., treatment of prostate cancer, adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment, and supportive and palliative care, and indirect costs. Cost-effectiveness analyses indicated that docetaxel combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was the most cost-effective strategy for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER): USD 13,647). In contrast, novel therapies such as PARP inhibitors and whole-genome-sequencing-guided treatments were not cost-effective unless drug prices were reduced by 47–70%. In the United States, 5-year cumulative treatment costs ranged from USD 48,000 for conservative management to over USD 91,000 for radiotherapy, while out-of-pocket expenses averaged AUD 1172 in Australia. Indirect costs were also considerable, with Slovakia reporting an increase in sick leave costs from EUR 1.2 million in 2014 to EUR 2.1 million in 2022. Conclusions: Metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer were the most frequent categories for various treatment cost evaluations. A few specific combinations of drugs were cost-effective only under the condition of dropping the unit prices of a medication. Further summarizing, reviewing, and developing a methodology for standardized comparisons are needed. Full article

Bank operations are contingent upon investor confidence, particularly during periods of economic distress. If investor confidence drops, a bank faces difficulties obtaining money, higher borrowing costs, and lower stock values. Non-performing loans (NPLs) potentially jeopardize a bank’s long-term viability and short-term profitability, and investors are naturally wary of institutions that pose a high credit risk. The purpose of the study was to explore how non-performing loans influence investor confidence in banks. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify 253 New York Stock Exchange banks in the Thomson Reuters Eikon DataStream that satisfied all the inclusion and exclusion selection criteria. The Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) models were used to analyze the data, providing insight into the relationship between the variables. The study discovered that NPLs had a negative and significant influence on price–earnings (P/E) and price-to-book value (P/B) ratios. Furthermore, the bank’s age was found to have a positive and significant relationship with the P/E and P/B ratio. The moderating relationship between NPLs and bank age was found to have a negative and significant influence on price–earnings (P/E) and price-to-book value (P/B) ratios. The findings underscore the importance of asset quality and institutional reputation in influencing market perceptions. Bank managers should focus on managing non-performing loans effectively and leveraging institutional credibility to sustain investor confidence, particularly during financial distress. Full article

Indonesian stingless bee honey (SBH) of Geniotrigona thoracica is popular and traded at an expensive price. Brown rice syrup (RS) is frequently used as a cheap adulterant for an economically motivated adulteration (EMA) in SBH. In this study, authentic Indonesian Geniotrigona thoracica SBH of Acacia mangium (n = 100), adulterated SBH (n = 120), fake SBH (n = 100), and RS (n = 200) were prepared. In short, 2 mL of each sample was dropped directly into an innovative sample holder without any sample preparation including no dilution. Fluorescence intensity was acquired using a fluorescence spectrometer. This portable instrument is equipped with a 365 nm LED lamp as the fixed excitation source. Principal component analysis (PCA) was calculated for the smoothed spectral data. The results showed that the authentic SBH and non-SBH (adulterated SBH, fake SBH, and RS) samples could be well separated using the smoothed spectral data. The cumulative percentage variance of the first two PCs, 98.4749% and 98.4425%, was obtained for calibration and validation, respectively. The highest prediction accuracy was 99.5% and was obtained using principal component analysis–linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA). The best partial least square (PLS) calibration was obtained using the combined interval with R²_cal = 0.898 and R²_val = 0.874 for calibration and validation, respectively. In the prediction, the developed model could predict the adulteration level in the adulterated honey samples with an acceptable ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD) = 2.282, and range error ratio (RER) = 6.612. Full article

Two vaccines against rotavirus diseases, Rotarix^® and RotaTeq^®, are being marketed in Spain; but rotavirus is not presently among the diseases covered by universal vaccination in Spain. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of extending Spain’s current targeted rotavirus vaccination strategy including only preterm babies, to a policy of universal vaccination. A de novo cohort-based Markov model was built to evaluate the efficiency of three compared rotavirus vaccination strategies in Spain: targeted, universal, and no vaccination. Using Rotarix^® or RotaTeq^®, we compared the cost–utility of these strategies from both a societal perspective and Spanish National Health System (SNHS) perspective. The model represents the most important clinical events conceivably linked to rotavirus infection. Efficacy, effectiveness, safety, costs, and utilities were identified by systematic reviews. Incremental cost–utility ratio (ICUR) is EUR 23,638/QALY (Quality-Adjusted Life Year) for targeted vaccination with Rotarix^® compared with no vaccination. The ICUR for the rest of the strategies evaluated are above EUR 30,000/QALY. The sensitivity analysis shows price as the only parameter that could make the universal vaccination strategy efficient. Considering a threshold of EUR 25,000/QALY, only targeted vaccination with Rotarix^® would be efficient from societal perspective. Price drops of 36.9% for Rotarix^® and 44.6% for RotaTeq^® would make universal vaccination efficient. Full article

The growing importance of hydrogen as an energy carrier in a future decarbonised energy system has led to a surge in its production plans. However, the development of infrastructure for hydrogen delivery, particularly in the hard-to-abate sectors, remains a significant challenge. While constructing new pipelines entails substantial investment, repurposing existing pipelines offers a cost-effective approach to jump-starting hydrogen networks. Many European countries and, more recently, other regions are exploring the possibility of utilising their current pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transport. Despite the recent efforts to enhance the understanding of pipeline compatibility and integrity for hydrogen transportation, including issues such as embrittlement, blend ratios, safety concerns, compressor optimisation, and corrosion in distribution networks, there has been limited or no focus on pipeline expansion options to address the low-energy density of hydrogen blends and associated costs. This study, therefore, aims to explore expansion options for existing natural gas high-pressure pipelines through additional compression or looping. It seeks to analyse the corresponding cost implications to achieve an affordable and sustainable hydrogen economy by investigating the utilisation of existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transportation as a cost-saving measure. It explores two expansion strategies, namely pipeline looping (also known as pipeline reinforcement) and compression, for repurposing a segment of a 342 km × 36 inch existing pipeline, from the Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline system (ELPS) in Nigeria, for hydrogen transport. Employing the Promax^® process simulator tool, the study assesses compliance with the API RP 14E and ASME B31.12 standards for hydrogen and hydrogen–methane blends. Both expansion strategies demonstrate acceptable velocity and pressure drop characteristics for hydrogen blends of up to 40%. Additionally, the increase in hydrogen content leads to heightened compression power requirements until approximately 80% hydrogen in the blends for compression and a corresponding extension in looping length until around 80% hydrogen in the blend for looping. Moreover, the compression option is more economically viable for all investigated proportions of hydrogen blends for the PS1–PS5 segment of the Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline case study. The percentage price differentials between the two expansion strategies reach as high as 495% for a 20% hydrogen proportion in the blend. This study offers valuable insights into the technical and economic implications of repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen transportation. Full article

This work explores five falling film evaporator (FFE) simulation approaches combined with energy consumption minimization strategies, namely Mechanical Vapor Recompression and Thermal Vapor Recompression (MVR and TVR, respectively). Global system analysis and advanced dynamic optimization strategies are then investigated to minimize steam consumption, the cost of steam, and the total annualized cost and to maximize product yield. The results indicate that higher TVR discharge pressures, or MVR compression ratios, along with higher feed temperatures, enhance evaporation but increase operational costs. The most economical option includes three evaporator effects with TVR to achieve 50% product dry mass content. However, for a 35% dry mass content, MVR becomes cost-effective with an 11% reduction in unit electricity prices or a simultaneous 7% drop in electricity prices and a 5% increase in gas-based steam prices. Furthermore, switching from milk powder production to milk concentrates leads to an annual cost reduction ranging from 10.8 to 44%. Additionally, a forecasted 20% (or more) reduction in biomass-based steam cost can lead to lower annual expenditure compared with the nominal NG-based steam case. Regarding the total annualized cost, for a new plant design, optimization strategies lead to a 9–45% reduction in the total cost depending on the case under consideration. Full article

The black soldier larvae meal (BSFLM) has been the most extensively studied insect protein source in shrimp nutrition. However, both the availability and prices of BSFLM are still a constraint for its widespread use as an ingredient in animal feeds. The present study investigated the growth and economic performance of post-larval (PL) P. vannamei fed nursery diets with a progressive replacement of fish meal (FML) for BSFLM at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%. These replacements corresponded to a dietary inclusion (% of the diet, as-is) of FML and BSFLM of 16.50 and 6.33%, 11.00 and 13.04%, 5.50 and 19.74%, and 0 and 26.46%, respectively. A total of 102,647 shrimp at the age of PL15 with 2.7 ± 0.2 mg body weight (BW) were stocked in fifty 1.5 m³ tanks under 1369 PLs/m³ (2053 ± 33 PLs/tank) and reared for 42 days. Final shrimp survival (90.5 ± 7.6%), daily weight gain (14.7 ± 1.1 mg/day), and apparent feed intake (0.67 ± 0.03 g of feed per stocked shrimp) were unaffected by dietary treatment. The highest gained yield (791 ± 52 and 776 ± 38 g/m³) and final BW (621 ± 7.2 and 632 ± 7.2 mg) were attained when FML was replaced for BSFLM at 50 and 75% with the lowest at 0% (726 ± 34 g/m³ and 598 ± 8.1 mg, respectively). Shrimp fed diets with 0 and 100% replacement of FML exhibited the highest feed conversion ratio (1.25 ± 0.04 and 1.24 ± 0.08) compared to those fed a diet with 50% (1.16 ± 0.06). At a price of USD 2.00/kg, BSFLM demonstrated a favorable ROI (return of investment) when compared to FML, irrespective of the replacement level. With 25 and 50% replacement, BSFLM remained cost-competitive up to 3.50 USD/kg. At 75% FML replacement, there were no significant differences in ROI with a price range of 2.00 up to 3.04 USD/kg. At full replacement, ROI dropped significantly at a BSFLM price of 2.50 USD/kg and beyond. It can be concluded that FML can be fully replaced for BSFLM in well-balanced nursery diets for P. vannamei. Although the full replacement of FML for BSFLM was successfully accomplished, the competitive ROI was sustained only when the price of BSFLM did not exceed 3.04 USD/kg at its dietary highest inclusion of 19.74%. Further research may be necessary to fine-tune cost-effective inclusion levels of BSFLM to optimize the economic outcomes while considering the fluctuating prices of FML. Full article

Currently, oil-coated PVA fibers are the most commonly used material in ECC research. However, the high price limits the application of PVA-ECC in practical engineering. In order to reduce the cost, one of the methods is to partially replace the PVA fibers in ECC. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of PVA/BF-ECC and PVA/PP-ECC, polyvinyl alcohol fibers (PVA), basalt fibers (BFs) and polypropylene fibers (PP) were added at 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% by volume of PVA in addition to 1% by volume of PVA. Subsequently, tensile, compression and drop-weight impact tests were conducted on single or hybrid fiber concrete. The results showed that the post-peak compression toughness, tensile strength, and initial cracking impact strength of PVA/BF-ECC and PVA/PP-ECC increased significantly with the increase in the volume ratio of BF and PP fibers, while the performance of PVA-ECC materials with the same fiber volume ratio decreased slightly. Therefore, the cost can be reduced by designing hybrid PVA/BF-ECC materials that meet the performance requirements. The experimental evidence presented in this study demonstrates the feasibility and reasonable prospect of the new hybrid PVA/BF-ECC. Full article

The sustainability of new-generation energy sources has become one of the most critical challenges in recent years as renewable energy sources (RESs) rapidly replace old fossil sources. Integration between RESs and the grid should be completed through power electronics converters and optimized control techniques. RESs have many advantages, such as having increased reliability and sustainability, being environmentally friendly, and having cheaper maintenance costs and more reasonable energy prices. Photovoltaic (PV) panels are among the most popular RESs. A PV array’s generated voltage level is unsuitable for direct load or grid connection and has to be enhanced via a DC-DC boost converter. After that, an inverter should be used to change the generated DC voltage to AC voltage for the grid or loads. In order to reach higher voltage gains, different structures have been proposed in the literature, such as cascaded converters, non-isolated converters (including transformers), and positive- and negative-voltage-lift Luo converters. These converters have some disadvantages, such as including a large number of semiconductor devices and inductors, heavy and bulky structures, and the need for intermediate converters to convert DC to AC voltage and vice versa. Besides the efficiency and high DC voltage gain feature, to achieve more reliability and sustainability and a longer lifetime of the PV source, the current drawn from these sources should be as ripple-free as possible. This study considers all these details by presenting a novel DC-DC power boost converter. The steady-state analysis, simulation, and test results are presented. The most important features of the proposed converter include the lack of need for a transformer, intermediate inverter, rectifier converters, and bulky and heavy components, while still ensuring that high voltage gains and high efficiencies are possible. Simulation results showed that for duty ratios from D = 0.05 to D = 0.15 for the switch S3, the gain of the converter was 22, 35, and 70 times greater than the input voltage, respectively. The desired 200 VDC and 400 VDC voltages for the output nodes were obtained using 12 VDC as the input voltage with and without the switched-capacitor cell, respectively. A limited number of the voltages between −47 and 12 V dropped across the inductors, and a reversed voltage from −12 to −48 V was reported for the power diodes. Additionally, an efficiency close to 96.88% was obtained for the proposed converter. According to the experimental results, a voltage close to 198 VDC was obtained with a 12 VDC input voltage source without using the switched-capacitor cell. A current with a maximum of 7 A was reported for the output diode, and more than 96% efficiency was reported. The results showed that the primary source of the power losses was the semiconductors, and the switching losses made up around 69% and 88% of the total losses for the switches and diodes, respectively. The present topology has three power switches. Two of the switches are activated and deactivated simultaneously. The third switch is activated or deactivated in reverse with the other switches. The results showed that for short-duty ratios such as 0.5 for switches S1 and S2 and 0.35 for switch S3, DC voltage gains close to 35 were obtained theoretically. The generated voltage could be doubled by applying fourth and fifth power switches by making a switched-capacitor-based topology. All of these details are illustrated in this study in detail. The proposed circuit was set up and tested in a laboratory environment. The test results confirm the simulation and theoretical analysis. Full article

Water electrolysis technology is required to overcome the intermittency of renewable energy sources. Among various water electrolysis methods, the proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) cell has the advantages of a fast response and high current density. However, high capital costs have hindered the commercialization of PEMWE; therefore, it is important to lower the price of bipolar plates, which make PEMWE expensive. In addition, since the flow field inscribed in the bipolar plate significantly influences the performance, it is necessary to design the enhanced pattern. A three-dimensional two-phase flow model was used to analyze the two-phase flow and electrochemical reactions of the PEMWE anode. In order to compare the experimental results with the simulation, experiments were conducted according to the flow rate, and the results were in good agreement. First, as a result of comparing the performance of the channel and PTL (porous transport layer) flow fields, the channel flow field showed better performance than the PTL flow field. For the channel flow field, the higher the ratio of the channel width-to-rib width and the permeability of PTL, the performance got better. In the case of the PTL flow field, with the increased capillary pressure, the performance improved even if the PTL permeability decreased. Next, the direction of gravity affected the performance only when the channel flow field was used, and the X+ and Z+ directions were optimal for the performance. Finally, increasing the inlet flow rate could reduce the difference in performance between the channel and PTL flow fields, but the pressure drop gradually increased. Full article

Stable financial operation is the essential factor for the sustainable development of the cruise tourism industry. The cruise industry was one of the fastest growing before the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry is capital intensive, has an enormous supply chain, serves to improve many ports-of-call economies, hires an immense quantity of people worldwide, and has a substantial economic contribution worldwide, especially in coastal countries or areas. COVID-19 has disrupted what had been an unending development of growth and success for the cruise industry. This study aims to analyze the financial performance of the worldwide cruise industry and realize the trends in the cruise tourism industry. The study examines the statistical data of the top three cruise companies that account for nearly 74.6–91.8% of the worldwide cruise tourism for 2015–2021. The financial analysis includes economic structure, solvency, operating ability, profitability, and financial leverage. We also analyze the economic indicators of the top three cruise companies with frequency analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and the financial management risks of the top three cruise companies with the Z-Score Model. In addition, the study organizes and summarizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global cruise tourism. The study found that from mid-March 2020 until July 2021, the temporary suspension decreased passenger numbers, operating losses, and stock price losses. The research results confirm that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the suspension of cruise ships worldwide. The break has led to a sharp drop in the number of cruise passengers, resulting in a significant decrease in operating income and profits of cruise companies, and the debt-to-assets ratio and leverage ratio have increased significantly. The excessive debt ratio will affect the sustainable operation of cruise companies and the sustainable development of the cruise industry. Because of the enormous impact and damage caused to the cruise industry by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is suggested that the cruise industry should take effective preventive strategies against highly contagious infectious diseases, deploy these strategies ahead of time, and strengthen the resilience and pandemic prevention ability of the cruise industry, to achieve the goal of sustainably developing the cruise industry. Full article

This paper addresses the problem of performance management of operate-transfer (OT) project finance for public sports and leisure centers (SLC) from the perspective of local government. This study contributes to use an evolutionary theory of competitive advantage and mixed-methods, including a modified Delphi method to develop the efficiency-based performance model (EPM) under OT project finance for the public SLCs. The total-factor framework disaggregating the efficiency into an innovative output surplus target ratio (OSTR) provides local governments with a contracted period to manage the SLCs through further specific improvement advice. This study further proposed the four-quadrant matrix formulated by long-term efficiency and short-term profitability to identify the benchmark and improvement directions. The empirical results indicated that there are fifteen SLCs located in the benchmark quadrant. This study provides policy makers in the local governments with a scientific reference to keep or drop the current operating private enterprise in the next concession period. The most underperforming SLCs could follow this proposed quadrant analysis and OSTR index, utilizing their internal resources to develop more attractive and reasonable-price exercise courses for participant growth. Full article

We examine stock prices and the number of stocks traded around ex-dividend dates of German stocks with tax-free dividend. Tax-free dividends are temporarily tax-exempt, as they reduce the initial purchasing price of a stock. With our analysis of this particular group of German stocks, we can make clear predictions regarding ex-date prices and analyze the number of stocks traded around ex-dates, doing so without the systematic bias of cum-ex trades over time. For XETRA, our empirical results indicate that ex-date prices decline, on average, by the amount of the dividend. We do not find a significant relationship between a stock’s price-drop ratio and dividend yield. Further, the empirical analysis suggests that there is no significant correlation between an abnormal number of a stock being traded and its dividend yield. These results are most consistent with tax-motivated reasoning. However, our volume analysis reveals no consistency regarding the abnormal number of stocks traded for multilateral trading facilities. Full article

This paper aims to investigate the perceived risk after the Tianjin port explosion event and its impact on property value. In addition to focusing on the relationship between homebuyers’ risk perception and property sales price, this paper also considers the risk perception of property sellers via the sale-to-list ratio. By using the difference-in-differences method and the sample from the property agent, we found that the explosion event generated a long-time effect on the public and property market in the city of Tianjin. Relative to those properties far away from the explosion site, the sales price and the sale-to-list ratio of the property near the explosion site were detected to have significant drops for the first six months after the explosion event. The temporal decrease of the relative sales price and the sale-to-list ratio are the evidence of short period overreaction from the public, which decays over time. This study demonstrates an indirect method to estimate the perceived risk of the general public and provides valuable insight into sustainable port management policies. Full article