scholarly journals Strategic asset management approach for planning investment in a large-scale irrigation system

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 2165-2174
Author(s):  
Rita Salgado Brito ◽  
Helena Alegre ◽  
Pedro Machado
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
System Breakdown ◽  
Functional Areas

Abstract Typically, large-scale irrigation systems are built almost entirely in a short time-frame, a significant part of the assets age at the same time and concentrated investment needs for rehabilitation are predictable. This paper focuses on planning these needs in an aggregated way, providing a big picture for the long term investment plan. A methodology for this purpose was developed and applied to a large-scale irrigation utility in Portugal. For such, the following steps were taken: (i) system breakdown by functional areas; (ii) infrastructure components disaggregation; (iii) diagnosis of the reference situation; (iv) evaluation of long-term alternatives for rehabilitation investment planning. The methodology is in line with the IAM approach recommended by IWA and the ISO55000 standards. In this paper, the specificities of this particular application, namely a proposal of irrigation component classes, and the studied alternatives, are presented. As an overall result, it was possible to indicate a path for economic sustainability without committing the infrastructure sustainability: it is based on gradual replacement of the assets reaching their useful life, combined with a constant rehabilitation rate. This paper is a contribution to an AM system for irrigation utilities, so alignment with IAM and the contribution to a broader IAM system is highlighted.

An international comparison of the institutional governance of water utility asset management and its implications for Finland

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Vinnari ◽  
J. J. Hukka
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Water Utility ◽  
Institutional Governance ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Service Levels ◽  
Water Service ◽  
Operational Capacity

Concerns over the condition of water and sewerage networks and their facilities are especially topical as several countries, including Finland, are approaching a stage where their aging and deteriorating pipelines will demand extensive repair, renewal and replacement. Solving the problems related to the construction and, in particular, the maintenance of water service infrastructures requires the methods of long-term planning and strategic decision-making, which are often referred to as water utility asset management. Since maintaining the operational capacity of water service systems has a crucial role in preventing hazards to human health and to the environment, the policy-level consideration of issues related to asset management planning seems well justified. A review of the institutional governance of asset management and investment planning in countries that are facing similar challenges provides several replicable principles for the water sector in Finland. A combination of legal requirements and professionally established norms could be expected to set an appropriate balance between securing adequate service levels and allowing utilities to decide autonomously on additional improvements.

scholarly journals The interplay of policy and energy retrofit decision-making for real estate decarbonization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivalin Petkov ◽  
Christof Knoeri ◽  
Volker H. Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Policy Mix ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Real Estate Investments ◽  
Integrated Policy ◽  
Budgetary Decisions

Abstract Retrofitting existing buildings is critical for meeting global and institutional net-zero CO₂ emissions goals. Prominent energy and climate policy strategies are aiming to increase notoriously low retrofitting rates by triggering energy efficient and/or decarbonized real estate investments. Although many real estate assets are owned by large-scale investors, the interplay of their retrofit decision-making and policies are under researched. Relying on interviews with four major owner types, industry experts, and policymakers, we unpack the “black box” of retrofit investment and demonstrate how large-scale investors can transform retrofit decision-making processes to meet emissions goals. We show that to accelerate deep retrofits, policymakers should focus on integrated policy mixes, and consider the cross-impacts of policy instruments from various domains on the value-driven retrofitting decision. Instruments indirectly influencing retrofits, such as those targeting affordability or densification, represent a critical avenue for improving the retrofitting policy mix by moving away from single instruments directly targeting energy or emissions aspects. This policy mix should specifically target asset management budgetary decisions, which mainly drive investment planning relevant for deep retrofits.

scholarly journals Membranous Nephropathy: It Is Time to Go Back to the Future

Nephron ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Gianmarco Sabiu ◽  
Manuel Alfredo Podestà
Keyword(s):  
Membranous Nephropathy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Comparable Efficacy ◽  
Drug Discontinuation ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Risk Of Cancer

<b><i>Context:</i></b> Membranous nephropathy (MN) is an immune-mediated glomerular disease that can lead to nephrotic syndrome and progressive kidney function loss. The cyclic steroid-cyclophosphamide regimen (the modified Ponticelli protocol) and the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab have been advocated as effective therapies to improve renal outcomes, but a direct comparison of these treatments had never been carried out in a prospective study. <b><i>Subject of Review:</i></b> Scolari et al. [<i>J Am Soc Nephrol</i>. 2021;32:972–82] recently reported the results of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RI-CYCLO) designed to provide direct estimates of the effect of rituximab (1 g × 2) compared to the cyclic steroid-cyclophosphamide regimen in 74 patients with MN. The proportion of patients with complete remission at 12 months was higher in the cyclic regimen arm than that of rituximab (32 and 16%, respectively), but the difference was not statistically significant in intention-to-treat analyses. Interestingly, differences in the cumulative incidence of complete and partial remissions between treatment arms progressively reduced over the follow-up and became virtually nonexistent from 24 months (&#x3e;80% in both groups). The frequency of serious and nonserious adverse events was similar between the 2 treatment arms. Infusion reactions and drug discontinuation were more common with rituximab, while infections and leukopenia were more frequently observed with the cyclic regimen. The risk of cancer was similar in the 2 allocation groups, but the limited follow-up length did not allow to draw definitive conclusions. Independent of treatment allocation, 18% of patients experienced at least 1 relapse after achieving complete or partial remission. <b><i>Second Opinion:</i></b> Notwithstanding the intrinsic limitations of a pilot study, the RI-CYCLO trial represents an important milestone in the treatment of MN. Findings from this study support the hypothesis that the cyclic regimen and rituximab may have comparable efficacy in inducing disease remission over the long term. Considering its potentially better–albeit not yet formally proven–long-term safety profile, rituximab could be considered as a first-line therapy for most patients with MN. Several questions remain to be addressed, including rituximab ideal dose and its efficacy in patients with a significant reduction in glomerular filtration rate. In light of RI-CYCLO results, a large-scale trial to assess rituximab noninferiority to the cyclic regimen would require the enrollment of thousands of patients, and it would be probably unfeasible within a reasonable time frame. In our opinion, resources should be allocated to provide an answer to the pressing matter of treatment nonresponse and intolerance, which may be addressed in the near future with novel therapeutic strategies.

Validation Protocol for a Pavement Management System

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (44) ◽  
pp. 32-42
Author(s):  
Theunis F. P. Henning ◽  
Elke Beca ◽  
Gordon Hart
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Pavement Management ◽  
Evolutionary Development ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Pavement Management System ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Pavement Management Systems ◽  
The Status ◽  
Long Term Forecasting

Being able to undertake more efficient maintenance and renewal planning of road networks has seen a number of pavement management systems (PMS) being developed between the 80s to mid-90s. During the initial years, there was a significant focus on substantiating the need and demonstrating the benefits of using these tools to assist in the investment planning for roads. Today, with substantial experience, and legislative support such as MAP-21 and PASS-55, the use of PMS in the asset management cycle of roads is a given. The challenge these days is to effectively use these tools and ensure robust outcomes are achieved from the overall PMS process. The success of any PMS is determined by a number of factors including having skilled resources, institutional support, and legislative and funding drivers demanding evidence-based forecasted investment needs. Asset managers also realize the importance of having technical robustness in the process to ensure likely outcomes. This paper documents the evolutionary development pathway of the New Zealand PMS that has now been in use across the entire country for more than 18 years. It shows how by always challenging the status quo it has resulted in consistently increasing the overall robustness of the system. In particular, it shows how different validation techniques have been used to improve the practicality and appropriateness of long-term forecasting capabilities.

scholarly journals Interpretable Forecasting of Energy Demand in the Residential Sector

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6568
Author(s):  
Nikos Sakkas ◽  
Sofia Yfanti ◽  
Costas Daskalakis ◽  
Eduard Barbu ◽  
Marharyta Domnich
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Demand Forecasting ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Residential Sector ◽  
Time Frames

Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables are used in each case to serve different decision support mandates. For example, in the short, daily, term building level, forecasting may serve as a performance baseline. On the other end, we have long-term, policy-oriented forecasting exercises. TIMES (an acronym for The Integrated Markal Efom System) allows us to model supply and anticipated technology shifts over a long-term horizon, often extending as far away in time as 2100. Between these two time frames, we also have a mid-term forecasting time frame, that of a few years ahead. Investigations here are aimed at policy support, although in a more mid-term horizon, we address issues such as investment planning and pricing. In this paper, we develop and evaluate statistical and neural network approaches for this mid-term forecasting of final energy and electricity for the residential sector in six EU countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Greece). Various possible approaches to model the explanatory variables used are presented, discussed, and assessed as to their suitability. Our end goal extends beyond model accuracy; we also include interpretability and counterfactual concepts and analysis, aiming at the development of a modelling approach that can provide decision support for strategies aimed at influencing energy demand.

Evolution of Large-Scale Coronal Structures

1994 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 29-33
Author(s):  
P. Ambrož
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Field Line ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Coronal Magnetic Field ◽  
Source Surface ◽  
Solar Cycles ◽  
Characteristic Relationship ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Coronal Structures

AbstractThe large-scale coronal structures observed during the sporadically visible solar eclipses were compared with the numerically extrapolated field-line structures of coronal magnetic field. A characteristic relationship between the observed structures of coronal plasma and the magnetic field line configurations was determined. The long-term evolution of large scale coronal structures inferred from photospheric magnetic observations in the course of 11- and 22-year solar cycles is described.Some known parameters, such as the source surface radius, or coronal rotation rate are discussed and actually interpreted. A relation between the large-scale photospheric magnetic field evolution and the coronal structure rearrangement is demonstrated.

Computer Analyses in Preventive Health Research

1967 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 8-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. F. Collen
Keyword(s):  
Medical Research ◽  
Preventive Medicine ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
New Era ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Normal Test ◽  
Computer Analyses

The utilization of an automated multitest laboratory as a data acquisition center and of a computer for trie data processing and analysis permits large scale preventive medical research previously not feasible. Normal test values are easily generated for the particular population studied. Long-term epidemiological research on large numbers of persons becomes practical. It is our belief that the advent of automation and computers has introduced a new era of preventive medicine.

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