The goal of this work is to carry out an economic analysis of a novel floating offshore wind structure, of which the main material is concrete: the SATH® platform. It takes a step forward in floating ...marine wind energy research, in which traditional platforms are mainly composed of steel. The technique to calculate the costs of the platform and the economic parameters to decide if the farm is economically feasible are explained in the paper. This case study analyzes a possible farm of 500 MW located in Portugal and several scenarios considering different electric tariffs and capital costs (Scenario 1: electric tariff of 50 €/MWh and 6% of capital cost; Scenario 2: electric tariff of 50 €/MWh and 8% of capital cost; Scenario 3: electric tariff of 150 €/MWh and 6% of capital cost; Scenario 4: electric tariff of 150 €/MWh and 8% of capital cost). Results show the economic feasibility of a farm with the characteristics of Scenarios 3 and 4. This work is significant in order to provide a new approach to analyzing traditional floating offshore wind structures, which can represent a path towards the future of floating offshore renewable energy technologies.
To assess the feasibility of time-resolved magnetic resonance (MR) angiography as a follow-up method after embolization for pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs).
Evaluation of 28 PAVMs in 10 ...patients previously treated with embolization with platinum coils was performed. The mean observation period after embolization was 49 months. All patients underwent unenhanced chest computed tomography (CT) and time-resolved MR angiography followed by transcatheter digital subtraction angiography within 5 weeks for a definite diagnosis. Two radiologists reviewed the CT and time-resolved MR angiography findings using a blinded method. On CT, the draining veins of the PAVMs were measured before and after embolization, and shrinkage rates were calculated. On time-resolved MR angiography, recanalization was diagnosed when the draining vein or aneurysmal sac or both were enhanced in the pulmonary arterial phase. Correlations between recanalization, the shrinkage rate of the draining vein, and the diagnostic accuracies of CT and time-resolved MR angiography were assessed and compared with digital subtraction angiography.
Five lesions could not be measured on CT because of metallic artifacts. The mean shrinkage rates of the draining vein for recanalized and occluded PAVMs were 23% ± 19 (SD) for recanalized PAVMs and 47% ± 21 for occluded PAVMs (P = .001). The sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 53%, respectively, when the shrinkage rate threshold was set to 50%. On time-resolved MR angiography, the sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 100%, respectively, for Reader 1 and 100% and 93%, respectively, for Reader 2. The κ coefficient was 0.86.
Time-resolved MR angiography appears to be a feasible method for PAVM follow-up examinations and to provide a more accurate diagnosis of recanalization compared with unenhanced CT.
Research background: Among academicians, a growing interest in brand valuation methods can be observed since the 1980s, when it became obvious that firms have off-balance-sheet assets which have a ...significant effect on their value. Moreover, in a number of cases, the need to value the brand arises due to the reporting requirements or transactional and other intrafirm reasons. The existing methods used so far have commonly focused on changes in variables such as sale prices, changes in customer behaviour, or sales volumes and very often lead to different results, even when valuing the same brand. We believe that the risk factor has been neglected in these methods, although having a significant impact on the brand valuation. Purpose of the article: The aim of this paper is to formulate an alternative brand valuation approach based on the risk difference. This is defined as the difference between the risk to which a producer with a certain brand is exposed and the risk of the producer without a brand. Methods: Firstly, a set of assumptions was defined concerning the issue what conditions are required to be applied to use the proposed methodological approach. Next, the concept itself is formulated and tested while using the case study approach. Hence, in conditions of a model company, the method was verified with specific data. The results were also compared with the reproduction cost approach. Findings & value added: This paper presents a novel brand valuation method based on the risk difference. Building on a thought experiment, we compare an incumbent with a brand rather than with an average producer, which is a commonly used approach, with a new entrant to the market. We argue that in comparison to existing methods, our methodological approach reduces the number of unobservable inputs in the brand valuation process, and thus increases the accuracy and reliability of its results. Our method supports both researchers and practitioners to establish a better understanding between the well-established financial theories and new directions in brand valuation research.
Abstract Background Measurement of carbon monoxide in expired air samples (ECO) is a non-invasive, cost-effective biochemical marker for smoking. Cut points of 6 ppm–10 ppm have been established, ...though appropriate cut-points for pregnant woman have been debated due to metabolic changes. This study assessed whether an ECO cut-point identifying at least 90% of pregnant smokers, and misidentifying fewer than 10% of non-smokers, could be established. Methods Pregnant women ( N = 167) completed a validated self-report smoking assessment, a urine drug screen for cotinine (UDS), and provided an expired air sample twice during pregnancy. Results Half of women reported non-smoking status early (51%) and late (53%) in pregnancy, confirmed by UDS. Using a traditional 8 ppm + cut-point for the early pregnancy reading, only 1% of non-smokers were incorrectly identified as smokers, but only 56% of all smokers, and 67% who smoked 5 + cigarettes in the previous 24 h, were identified. However, at 4 ppm +, only 8% of non-smokers were misclassified as smokers, and 90% of all smokers and 96% who smoked 5 + cigarettes in the previous 24 h were identified. False positives were explained by heavy second hand smoke exposure and marijuana use. Results were similar for late pregnancy ECO, with ROC analysis revealing an area under the curve of .95 for early pregnancy, and .94 for late pregnancy readings. Conclusions A lower 4 ppm ECO cut-point may be necessary to identify pregnant smokers using expired air samples, and this cut-point appears valid throughout pregnancy. Work is ongoing to validate findings in larger samples, but it appears if an appropriate cut-point is used, ECO is a valid method for determining smoking status in pregnancy.
Standard survival methods are inappropriate for mismeasured outcomes. Previous research has shown that outcome misclassification can bias estimation of the survival function. We develop methods to ...accurately estimate the survival function when the diagnostic tool used to measure the outcome of disease is not perfectly sensitive and specific. Since the diagnostic tool used to measure disease outcome is not the gold standard, the true or error-free outcomes are latent, they cannot be observed. Our method uses the negative predictive value (NPV) and the positive predictive values (PPV) of the diagnostic tool to construct a bridge between the error-prone outcomes and the true outcomes. We formulate an exact relationship between the true (latent) survival function and the observed (error-prone) survival function as a formulation of time-varying NPV and PPV. We specify models for the NPV and PPV that depend only on parameters that can be easily estimated from a fraction of the observed data. Furthermore, we conduct an in-depth study to accurately estimate the latent survival function based on the assumption that the biology that underlies the disease process follows a gamma process. We examine the performance of our method by applying it to the Viral Resistance to Antiviral Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C (VIRAHEP-C) data. To show the broader relevance of our research, we apply our proposed methodology to a dataset from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).
Abstract
The agricultural irrigation system is a water supply system in agriculture and one of the determining factors is the used sluice gate that needs developing. However, the development of ...technological tools or instruments requires further economic analysis in the form of a techno-economic analysis. The development of a smart sluice gate was carried out at the
Pusat Inovasi Agroteknologi
(PIAT) Universitas Gadjah Mada, Kalitirto, Berbah, Sleman, Yogyakarta. Furthermore, research has achieved many things that can affect the financial calculations of a project or activity, prices, taxes, and grants. Techno-economic calculations were made according to different investment criteria. Based on investments including NPV (Net Present Value), IRR (Internal Rate of Return), and BCR (Benefit Cost Ratio), to collect data using Input parameters from CAPEX and also OPEX, this techno-economic feasibility analysis was expected to be able to meet the Payback Period within 5 years.
Optimal power in wind farms turns to be a modern problem for investors and decision makers; onshore wind farms are subject to performance and economic and environmental constraints. The aim of this ...work is to define the best installed capacity (best topology) with maximum performance and profits and consider environmental impacts as well. In this article, we continue the work recently done on wind farm topology-finding algorithm. The proposed resolution technique is based on finding the best topology of the system that maximizes the wind farm performance (availability) under the constraints of costs and capital investments. Global warming potential of wind farm is calculated and taken into account in the results. A case study is done using data and constraints similar to those collected from wind farm constructors, managers, and maintainers. Multi-state systems (MSS), universal generating function (UGF), wind, and load charge functions are applied. An economic study was conducted to assess the wind farm investment. Net present value (NPV) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) were calculated for best topologies found.
The use of renewable resources is important to the developing bioenergy economy and short rotation woody crops (SRWC) are key renewable feedstocks. A necessary step in advancing SRWC is defining ...regions suitable for SRWC commercial activities and assessing the relative economic viability among suitable regions. The goal of this study was to assess the potential profitability, based on obtainable yield and economic feasibility; of Pinus taeda L. (loblolly pine) across 13 states of the southern USA. A process-based growth model, 3PG, produced estimated yields of P. taeda in terms of mean annual increment (MAI) that were evaluated as internal rate of return on investment (IRR) and land expectation value (LEV). Coastal areas (southeast Texas, southwest Louisiana, and northern Florida) have the highest potential MAI production ranging from 13.7 to 18.9Mgha−1yr−1. LEVs ranged from −1126 to 3111$ha−1 on upland sites and −2261 to 2341$ha−1 on lowland sites. IRR ranged from −0.3% to 14.2% on uplands and −2.9% to 10.4% on lowlands. On soils of the same textural class, LEV and IRR were higher on uplands relative to lowlands given lower site preparation costs, although the projected yield from upland soils are generally lower than those from lowland soils. The highest LEV and IRR were in northern Florida, southern Alabama, southern Georgia, and southern South Carolina. The lowest LEV and IRR were in Virginia and northern North Carolina. Spatially categorizing suitable lands in biological and economic terms can use geographic information system technology to advantage in combination with societal considerations to begin to answer sustainability questions as well as identify suitable sites for bioenergy plantations.
•Pinus taeda mean annual volume increment (MAI) modeled with 3PG in the southeastern USA ranged from 25 to 34.6Mgha−1yr−1.•The highest potential MAI production for SRWC was in coastal areas of the southern USA.•The highest profitability potential was in northern Florida, southern Alabama, southern Georgia, southern South Carolina.•The lowest LEV and IRR were in Virginia and northern North Carolina.•LEVs ranged from −1126 to 3114$ha−1 on upland sites and −2263 to 2343$ha−1 on lowland sites.•IRR ranged from −0.3% to 14.2% on uplands and −2.9% to 10.4% on lowlands.
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