Energy supply security in the EU: Benchmarking diversity and dependence of primary energy

We evaluate energy supply security in all the EU countries. For the first time a proxy indicators for diversity and concentration Shannon Wiener index and Herfindahl-Hirschman index and dependence metrics are used for the detailed primary energy fuel mix of all EU member states. The geographic coverage of this work allows for useful comparisons between countries and for a means of benchmarking against the indices. Overall, it is found that energy supply diversity in the EU has been significantly improved since 1990 by 14.2% (SWI) and 22.6% (HHI). We demonstrate the interrelations between dependence and diversity and the role of renewables on dependence and diversity. Renewable energy, particularly wind, solar and biomass has been the main driver for diversity growth and has a positive contribution to indigenous energy use; thus reducing energy import dependence. We argue that alongside renewable energy there exists a wide range of factors contributing to energy dependence and that renewable energy has had a positive contribution to almost all EU28 country's diversity

Energy Supply Security in Southern Europe and Ireland

Energy supply security is of paramount importance to all countries, however, not all countries present the same capacity to respond to energy security threats. Financial wealth is one of the means that can support access to energy resources and as such countries that have been hit the hardest by the 2008 financial crisis present energy supply vulnerabilities. We focus on Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece and find that they have continuously improved their energy supply diversity. At the same time, we argue that during, and as a result of the financial crisis our focus countries reduced their exposure to expensive imported resources predominantly in the transport sector and increased the role of renewables. Overall, we find improved supply security which could be strengthened further if financial resources were directed towards innovation for renewable energy sources

Energy Supply Sustainability For Island Nations: A Study on 8 Global Islands

Energy supply sustainability is a multifaceted challenge for all countries and especially for small island nations that might have limited adaptive capacity. Previous studies showed that islands experience energy scarcity and isolation from energy markets due to their remote location. Our focus is on a range of islands spread out globally: Malta, Cyprus, Curacao, Mauritius, Iceland, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bahrain. They are selected for their varying energy development paradigms that facilitate cluster elicitation. For the first time, we combine the estimation of fuel mix diversity and energy import dependence with established metrics Shannon-Wiener index (SWI), Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) and Energy Import Dependence to assess energy supply security. SWI and Energy Import Dependence are then presented against carbon intensity to highlight two angles of sustainable energy supply. We argue that islands are clustered to those that have fossil fuel reserves and are locked in low diversity, low dependence and high carbon intensity, those that rely almost exclusively on imported fossil fuel reserves and have low diversity and high dependence and high carbon intensity and finally those that have entered a decarbonization trajectory that allows them to reduce their fossil fuel import dependence, increase their diversity and reduce their carbon intensity

Energy and carbon intensity: A study on the cross-country industrial shift from China to India and SE Asia

The potential relocation of various industrial sectors from China to India and countries of the SE Asian region presents low cost opportunities for manufacturers, but also risks rising for energy demand and CO2 emissions. A cross-country shift of industrial output would present challenges for controlling emissions since India and SE Asian countries present higher industrial emissions intensity than China. We find that although there is a convergence in emissions intensity in the machinery manufacturing and paper and pulp industries, there are significant variations in all other industrial sectors. Indian emissions intensity is double that of China in the iron and steel and textile and leather industries and almost triple in the cement industry; Indonesian emissions intensity is almost double that of China in the non-metallic minerals and textile and leather industries and 50% higher in the chemical and petrochemical industry. We demonstrate that the expected higher emissions are driven by both a higher carbon fuel mix intensity in the recipient countries and higher energy intensity in their industrial activities. While industrial relocation could benefit certain countries financially, it would impose considerable threats to their energy supply security and capacity to comply with their Paris Agreement commitments

Importance of an Evaluation Phase When Increasing the Occlusal Vertical Dimension : A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE To assess whether an evaluation period is necessary for patient and clinical success when increasing the occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) for a full mouth rehabilitation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A systematic search was conducted in six databases: MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, CENTRAL, VHL, and EMBASE. The eligibility criteria of this systematic review used the PICO framework to address the following research question: "In dentate adults requiring an increase in occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) (P), is an evaluation period of the new OVD (I) superior to no evaluation period (C) in terms of success (O)?" Study characteristics, survival, and success rates were extracted from each article. No language restrictions were applied. Study quality was appraised using Cochrane's Risk of Bias 2 tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) according to the study design. RESULTS The electronic search yielded 1188 titles after duplicates were removed. One RCT and 103 non-comparative articles were found relevant to the search question. Out of the 103 articles, 80 had an evaluation phase and 23 did not. The included RCT revealed that removable devices tended to cause chewing difficulties, unclear speech, and esthetic discomfort. Therefore, the use of a removable appliance to functionally or esthetically evaluate OVD was not indicated prior to the definitive treatment. Esthetics was the highest reported parameter preoperatively for the non-comparative studies, at 85% with an evaluation and 86% without. CONCLUSION At present, there is lack of evidence that an evaluation period improves clinical and patient-reported outcomes when increasing OVD for full mouth rehabilitations. Thus, an increase in OVD can be successful with or without an evaluation phase. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The evaluation phase helps the clinician manage patient expectations and assist with the treatment sequencing. This phase is most effective with fixed restoration, such as temporary crowns or adhesive restorations. However, there is limited evidence that this phase improves clinical or patient-reported outcomes

The case for islands’ energy vulnerability: Electricity supply diversity in 44 global islands

Energy supply security is a multifaceted challenge for all countries and especially for small island nations that might have limited adaptive capacity. Previous studies showed that islands experience energy scarcity and isolation from energy markets due to their remote location making energy supply security a challenging issue. We estimate energy supply diversity and concentration for 44 islands in order to provide an island specific benchmark approach for energy supply security. We use established metrics Shannon-Wiener index (SWI), Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) with Energy Information Administration (EIA) fuel mix data. To confront the issues of supply security and sustainability we test energy diversity against energy and emissions intensity. The global character of the research along with the wide range of islands covered allows useful comparisons between countries and for a means of benchmarking against the indices while creating certain defined country clusters. Overall it is found that average island energy intensity increased by 23.4% with a corresponding increase of 12.4% on their emissions intensity for the period 2000–2015. On the other hand, diversity has improved by 21.3% (SWI) and by 2% (HHI) since 2000. We argue that fossil-fuel lock-in for islands must break in order to UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 to be achieved particularly for vulnerable island nations

The capacity to change the lightness of discolored tooth substrates by means of minimal-invasive restorations: perception by dentists, dental technicians and laypersons

PURPOSE To evaluate the minimal ceramic thickness needed to increase the lightness by one value by means of glass-ceramic restorations perceived by dental technicians, dentists, and laypersons. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 15 assessment pairs (reference and test samples) were formed using glass-ceramic blocks in four different colors. Each assessment pair was comprised of two underground blocks differing in one value of lightness. On top of the underground blocks, glass-ceramic platelets were cemented in five different thicknesses (0.1 to 0.5 mm) and in the same color as the reference. Dental technicians, dentists, and laypersons (n = 41/group) were asked to determine the presence of a color difference between the two samples under standardized lighting conditions. The threshold ceramic thickness was defined as the thickness at which ≥ 50% of the evaluators were not able to perceive a difference within an assessment pair. The thresholds were analyzed, and groups were compared by applying chi-square test (P < .05). RESULTS The majority of dentists and dental technicians (> 50%) detected a lightness difference between the test and reference samples up to a ceramic thickness of 0.5 mm. The majority of laypersons (≥ 50%) did not perceive a lightness difference with ceramic thickness of 0.5 mm. If separated by the different color changes, the threshold ceramic thickness started at 0.4 mm and varied within the groups of evaluators and by the lightness of the assessed color. CONCLUSION A considerable number of evaluators perceived a lightness difference when minimally invasive ceramic restorations of 0.5-mm thickness were applied. The threshold ceramic thickness, however, was reduced when the lightness of the substrate was lower

Load-bearing capacity, internal accuracy and time-efficiency of heat-pressed, milled and 3D-printed lithium disilicate ultra-thin occlusal veneers

OBJECTIVES The primary aim of this in vitro study was to compare the load-bearing capacity of lithium disilicate occlusal veneers, fabricated via different manufacturing processes. Secondary objectives included assessing internal accuracy and production time-efficiency. METHODS Four fabrication methods for ultra-thin lithium disilicate occlusal veneers on extracted human molars with simulated erosive defects were compared (n = 20/group): CAM: milled lithium disilicate (IPS e.max CAD); HPR: heat-pressed lithium disilicate (IPS e.max Press) out of a milled PMMA template (Ddpmma CAST); 3DP: 3D-printed lithium disilicate (experimental lithium disilicate); PTE: heat-pressed lithium disilicate (IPS e.max Press) out of a 3D-printed template (SilaPrint cast). Internal accuracy was measured prior to thermo-mechanical aging, followed by static loading to measure the load-bearing capacity (F$_{max}$). Fabrication time (time-efficiency) was also recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test. RESULTS No statistically significant differences were found in median load-bearing capacities (F$_{max}$) between the groups (KW p = 0.5902): CAM 1821 N, HPR 1896 N, 3DP 2003 N, PTE 1687 N. Significant differences were found in internal accuracy between the groups that employed printing processes (3DP, PTE) and all other groups in margins (p < 0.001), cusps (p < 0.0018), and fossae (p < 0.0346). The time-efficiency measurements indicated an increase in fabrication time, starting from CAM 67.2 ± 5.8 min, followed by HPR 200.8 ± 33.0 min, PTE 289.2 ± 38.7 min, and peaking with the highest duration observed for 3DP 701.6 ± 8.1 min. SIGNIFICANCE The fabrication method of ultra-thin lithium disilicate occlusal veneers does not significantly impact their load-bearing capacity, but affects the clinical fit and adaptation of the veneers

Narrow-diameter implants for treatment with fixed restorations in the posterior region: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE To evaluate the survival and complication rates of narrow-diameter implants (NDIs) for treatment with fixed restorations in premolar and molar sites. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the preferred reporting items of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Searches were performed according to a Population-Intervention-Outcome (PIO) format in MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, supplemented by manual cross-referencing. Inclusion criteria encompassed clinical studies on NDIs (<3.75 mm diameter) restored with fixed dental prostheses (FDP) in the posterior region. Random-effect models were employed to pool survival and complication rates, and heterogeneity was assessed using the Q test and I$^{2}$ statistic. Subgroup analyses explored variations by jaw location, implant material, and follow-up. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and the MINORS tool for non-randomized studies. RESULTS Thirty-six trials involving 2741 NDIs were included in the systematic review and 29 in the meta-analysis. Survival rates (SRs) ranged from 92.73% to 100% with follow-up periods from 10.8 months to 12 years. Pooled SRs for maxillary (97.0%; 95%CI: 96.2%-97.8%) and mandibular (96.5%; 95%CI: 95.7%-97.3%) NDIs were not significantly different (p = 0.688). Comparing NDIs in the premolar and molar sites, jaw location demonstrated similar SRs of 97.5% (95% CI: 95.9%-99.1%) and 98.6% (95% CI: 96.5%-99.6%), respectively. Technical complication rates varied from 0% to 23.5%, with follow-up periods ranging from 1 to 12 years. These complications primarily included screw loosening, fractures, and detachment of restorations. Data on biological complications were notably limited, and due to the heterogeneity in reporting, comparisons were not feasible. CONCLUSION NDIs demonstrate high survival and low complication rates for therapy of the partially edentulous patient with FDPs in posterior sites. The clinical performance is consistent across jaw location and implant materials