Economic Growth or Stagnation during the Interwar Period: Reconstruction of Cypriot GDP 1921-1938

This paper explores the macro-economic history of Cyprus in the inter-war period. It constructs the first detailed estimates of output at aggregate and sector levels, enabling the analysis of economic growth and the sectoral structure of the island’s economy. It evaluates its performance within the context of economic change on Europe’s South Eastern periphery and, specifically, in light of the experience of British colonial rule. The thesis argues, first, that economic growth was slow in wider European comparison and as sluggish as in neighbouring countries. It was so despite the island being far less exposed to the political upheavals of the First World War than most other economies in South Eastern Europe. Cyprus experienced a prolonged agricultural crisis, but participated in the post-depression recovery through the growth in international demand for the output of its copper mining industry. The colonial government remained committed to balanced budgets and non-intervention in the economy, limiting their ability to combat the effects of the great depression. As a result, the deteriorating economic situation increased the political tension between the islanders and the colonial government. The reluctance to mount an effective policy response to the great depression acted as a catalyst to political polarization, leading to violence and the suspension of the island’s constitution

Frequency dynamics of the Northern European AC/DC power system: a look-ahead study

peer reviewedIn many power systems, the increased penetration of inverter-based renewable generation will cause a decrease in kinetic energy storage, leading to higher frequency excursions after a power disturbance. This is the case of the future Nordic Power System (NPS). The look-ahead study reported in this paper shows that the chosen units participating in Frequency Containment Reserves (FCR) cannot keep the frequency above the prescribed threshold following the outage of the largest plant. This analysis relies on a detailed model of the Northern European grid. The latter is compared to the classical single-mass equivalent, and the impact of voltage-dependent loads is assessed in some detail. Next, the paper focuses on emergency power control of the HVDC links that connect the NPS to the rest of the European grid, which can supplement or even replace part of the FCR. The proper tuning of that control is discussed. Finally, the analysis is extended to the HVDC links connecting the future North Sea Wind Power Hub under two configurations, namely low and zero inertia. The impact of outages in the latter sub-system is also assessed. The material to simulate the system with industrial software is made publicly available

Market Integration of HVDC Lines: Cost Savings from Loss Allocation and Redispatching

In the Nordic region, many interconnectors are formed by HVDC links, as Scandinavia, Continental Europe and the Baltic region are non-synchronous AC systems. This paper presents two cost benefit analyses on the utilization of HVDC interconnectors in the Nordic countries: in the first we investigate the utilization of HVDC interconnectors for reserve procurement and, in the second, we assess the implementation of implicit grid losses on HVDC interconnectors in the day-ahead market. The first analysis is motivated by real events in 2018 where the inertia of the Nordic system dropped below a critical level and the most critical generating unit, a nuclear power plant in Sweden, was redispatched to guarantee the security of the system. In order to guarantee system security while reducing the costs of preventive actions, in summer 2020 new frequency products were introduced in the Nordic system: the Fast Frequency Reserves (FFR). HVDC lines, however, can perform similar tasks at lower costs. In our analysis, we are, thus, investigating the cost savings of using HVDC lines for frequency support using their Emergency Power Control (EPC) functionality, instead of redispatching or FFR. The second analysis is based on the proposition of Nordic Transmission System Operators (TSOs) to introduce linear HVDC loss factors in the market clearing. With our analysis, we show that linear loss factors can unfairly penalize one HVDC line over the other, and this can reduce social benefits and jeopardize revenues of merchant HVDC lines. In this regard, we propose piecewise-linear loss factors: a simple-to-implement but highly-effective solution. Moreover, we demonstrate how the introduction of HVDC loss factors is a partial solution, since it disproportionally increases the AC losses. Our results show that the additional inclusion of AC loss factors can eliminate this problem.Comment: Submitted to "CIGRE Centennial Exhibition 2021" on December 15, 2020. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1910.05607, arXiv:2001.0066

Frequency dynamics of the Northern European AC/DC power system: a look-ahead study

In many power systems, the increased penetration of inverter-based renewable generation will cause a decrease in kinetic energy storage, leading to higher frequency excursions after a power disturbance. This is the case of the future Nordic Power System (NPS). The look-ahead study reported in this paper shows that the chosen units participating in Frequency Containment Reserves (FCR) cannot keep the frequency above the prescribed threshold following the outage of the largest plant. This analysis relies on a detailed model of the Northern European grid. The latter is compared to the classical single-mass equivalent, and the impact of voltage-dependent loads is assessed in some detail. Next, the paper focuses on emergency power control of the HVDC links that connect the NPS to the rest of the European grid, which can supplement or even replace part of the FCR. The proper tuning of that control is discussed. Finally, the analysis is extended to the HVDC links connecting the future North Sea Wind Power Hub under two configurations, namely low and zero inertia. The impact of outages in the latter sub-system is also assessed. The material to simulate the system with industrial software is made publicly available

Multimodality imaging and advanced calcium treatment to facilitate PCI in a rare coronary artery anomaly—case report

BackgroundCoronary artery anomalies (CAAs) are a rare congenital condition and represent additional challenges in interventional treatment of coronary artery disease.Case summaryA 76-year-old male, was admitted for elective coronary angiography due to symptoms of typical angina. CT coronary angiography (CTCA) revealed all three coronary arteries arising from the right sinus of Valsalva, where right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending artery (LAD) had common ostium with significant stenosis of ostio-proximal RCA and circumflex artery (CX) coming from a separate one. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of ostial RCA was planned and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in both RCA and LAD was done. Due to extensive calcification, prior to intended PCI, intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) was done. Following IVL and extensive predilatation drug eluting stent (DES) was implanted. Final IVUS was used to confirm optimal stent deployment in proximal RCA and to verify that LAD ostium was not compromised with RCA stent. Six months later, due to angina and positive stress test, repeated coronary angiography revealed a restenosis of the ostial RCA so the lesion was again treated with drug-coated balloon with optimal procedural results.ConclusionAlthough rare, CAAs could be associated with coronary artery disease and usually present additional challenge for interventional treatment. Advanced imaging modalities, including CTCA and IVUS, provide good procedural guidance during complex PCI procedures in patients with CAAs

Performance of a cardiac lipid panel compared to four prognostic scores in chronic heart failure

The cardiac lipid panel (CLP) is a novel panel of metabolomic biomarkers that has previously shown to improve the diagnostic and prognostic value for CHF patients. Several prognostic scores have been developed for cardiovascular disease risk, but their use is limited to specific populations and precision is still inadequate. We compared a risk score using the CLP plus NT-proBNP to four commonly used risk scores: The Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM), Framingham risk score (FRS), Barcelona bio-HF (BCN Bio-HF) and Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) score. We included 280 elderly CHF patients from the Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study in Elderly trial. Cox Regression and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed. Integrated area under the curves (IAUC) was used as criterium for comparison. The mean (SD) follow-up period was 81 (33) months, and 95 (34%) subjects met the primary endpoint. The IAUC for FRS was 0.53, SHFM 0.61, BCN Bio-HF 0.72, MAGGIC 0.68, and CLP 0.78. Subjects were partitioned into three risk clusters: low, moderate, high with the CLP score showing the best ability to group patients into their respective risk cluster. A risk score composed of a novel panel of metabolite biomarkers plus NT-proBNP outperformed other common prognostic scores in predicting 10-year cardiovascular death in elderly ambulatory CHF patients. This approach could improve the clinical risk assessment of CHF patients

Performance of a cardiac lipid panel compared to four prognostic scores in chronic heart failure

The cardiac lipid panel (CLP) is a novel panel of metabolomic biomarkers that has previously shown to improve the diagnostic and prognostic value for CHF patients. Several prognostic scores have been developed for cardiovascular disease risk, but their use is limited to specific populations and precision is still inadequate. We compared a risk score using the CLP plus NT-proBNP to four commonly used risk scores: The Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM), Framingham risk score (FRS), Barcelona bio-HF (BCN Bio-HF) and Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) score. We included 280 elderly CHF patients from the Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study in Elderly trial. Cox Regression and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed. Integrated area under the curves (IAUC) was used as criterium for comparison. The mean (SD) follow-up period was 81 (33) months, and 95 (34%) subjects met the primary endpoint. The IAUC for FRS was 0.53, SHFM 0.61, BCN Bio-HF 0.72, MAGGIC 0.68, and CLP 0.78. Subjects were partitioned into three risk clusters: low, moderate, high with the CLP score showing the best ability to group patients into their respective risk cluster. A risk score composed of a novel panel of metabolite biomarkers plus NT-proBNP outperformed other common prognostic scores in predicting 10-year cardiovascular death in elderly ambulatory CHF patients. This approach could improve the clinical risk assessment of CHF patients

Performance of a cardiac lipid panel compared to four prognostic scores in chronic heart failure

The cardiac lipid panel (CLP) is a novel panel of metabolomic biomarkers that has previously shown to improve the diagnostic and prognostic value for CHF patients. Several prognostic scores have been developed for cardiovascular disease risk, but their use is limited to specific populations and precision is still inadequate. We compared a risk score using the CLP plus NT-proBNP to four commonly used risk scores: The Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM), Framingham risk score (FRS), Barcelona bio-HF (BCN Bio-HF) and Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) score. We included 280 elderly CHF patients from the Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study in Elderly trial. Cox Regression and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed. Integrated area under the curves (IAUC) was used as criterium for comparison. The mean (SD) follow-up period was 81 (33) months, and 95 (34%) subjects met the primary endpoint. The IAUC for FRS was 0.53, SHFM 0.61, BCN Bio-HF 0.72, MAGGIC 0.68, and CLP 0.78. Subjects were partitioned into three risk clusters: low, moderate, high with the CLP score showing the best ability to group patients into their respective risk cluster. A risk score composed of a novel panel of metabolite biomarkers plus NT-proBNP outperformed other common prognostic scores in predicting 10-year cardiovascular death in elderly ambulatory CHF patients. This approach could improve the clinical risk assessment of CHF patients

Coordinated Frequency Control Between Interconnected AC/DC Systems

With ambitions of reducing the environmental pollution, power systems integrate larger shares of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) to phase out conventional thermal and nuclear generators. Since RES (such as wind and solar power) are connected to the grid through power electronics devices, they do not inherently contribute to system inertia. With decreasing inertia, the Instantaneous Frequency Deviation (IFD), which follows a power unbalance, is significantly impacted. Frequency Containment Reserves (FCR) are designed to provide a fast dynamic response, counteract power imbalances and stabilize the frequency within a short time interval. Besides inertia, the significant factors affecting frequency behavior are the available amount of FCR and the capability of their fast and stable response. System operators define the list of requirements that a generating unit has to satisfy to participate in FCR. Generators, which are the major part of FCR, have different governors and turbines properties. This study assesses the dynamical performance of typical generators in both open-loop testing and closed-loop varying inertia systems. The goal is to evaluate if specific FCR requirements present a sufficient condition for the desired response, and which governor properties are capable of satisfying them. As an additional, and sometimes necessary, support to FCR, HVDC interconnections are utilized in the form of Emergency Power Control (EPC). This thesis investigates which of the EPC methods performs appropriately in terms of IFD improvement, closed-loop stability, and power and energy provided. The analysis is a continuation from the previous investigation on FCR, and mainly compare two EPC methods related to Nordic Power System (NPS) test case: ramp/step method which is currently implemented in the NPS, and droop frequency-based EPC, proposed by this study for the future operation in the NPS. Apart from ensuring a proper system frequency response, the influence of implemented HVDC supplementary active power control is analyzed to rotor angle stability. In further, this thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact that proposed HVDC supplementary power control has on the linearized dynamics of power systems. By building a generic system, this analytical study is the first of its kind that includes both higher order generator dynamics, and local angle/frequency input of the controller. The methodological approach here analytically formulates the impact the HVDC supplementary control has mainly on the generator synchronizing and damping torque components. The positive impact of the droop frequency-based HVDC power support is highlighted using both single and multi-machine systems. In that way, the implementation of desired droop frequency-based HVDC control to mainly improve system frequency is motivated furthermore. It shows that a proper HVDC supplementary control may impose the various positive impacts for future variable and low inertia scenarios, and ensure a proper power system sustainability.QC 20200907multiDC - Advanced Control and Optimization Methods for AC and HVDC Grid