Danish Hydraulic Institute (India)

Abstract Mooring failures are critical scenarios to be investigated for the safe design of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs). Designers typically rely on both physical model tests and numerical simulations to predict the FOWT response to mooring line breakage. The Floating Wind industry needs increased confidence in the ability of numerical models to tackle these design challenges. This paper presents laboratory experiments on mooring failures for a FOWT foundation, along with the application of a numerical framework to simulate the foundation response. The framework couples a wave propagation model with a potential flow-based solver for the floating structure. Experimental and numerical results are presented and compared, identifying strength and areas of improvement for the applied numerical framework.

This research paper situates itself in a pivotal position, arguing the key role of Facebook in fostering grassroots environmental campaigns across diverse global contexts. Being one of the prominent choices of social media, Facebook offers a unique type of digital infrastructure enabling decentralized activist behavior, quick dissemination of information, and huge public participation. By way of distributed multi-method probes involving case studies, content analysis, and participant interviews, the study seeks to understand how environmental movements such as Fridays for Future, Save Aarey, and Sunrise Movement (USA) have been utilizing Facebook in the coordination of activities, the education of their followers, and the cohesion-building of informal communities. The research findings display that Facebook seems to strengthen grassroots environmental activism through opportunities of real-time communication, wide reach into locations beyond local geographies, and enabling participatory discourse. However, the algorithmic architecture and sway to misinformation pose grave challenges for the platform: among them are limits on content visibility and climate change-related misinformation. The paper ends with some actionable insights for activists, policymakers, and platform developers on how to enhance the positive impact of Facebook while working to mitigate the risks.

Financial behavior plays a crucial role in shaping individuals' decisions regarding money management and their willingness to accept risk. This research examined how financial planning and financial literacy influence risk tolerance among young adults. Using a structured questionnaire approach, the primary data was gathered from 76 participants in India, primarily young people between 18 and 35. The analysis employed Pearson correlation analysis, regression modeling, and mediation testing techniques. Results demonstrated strong positive correlations between financial planning, financial literacy, and risk tolerance. However, financial literacy showed no meaningful relationship with risk tolerance. Regression findings confirmed that financial planning directly and significantly affects individual risk appetite, while financial literacy demonstrates neither direct nor indirect influence on risk tolerance. Consequently, financial literacy fails to act as a meaningful mediator in the financial planning risk tolerance relationship. Literature suggests that demographic characteristics and behavioral heuristics work alongside financial literacy when assessing risk appetite. These findings offer valuable insights for financial service providers and policymakers seeking to develop educational programs and investment guidance for young adults, emphasizing practical financial planning skills and portfolio diversification strategies aligned with individual risk preferences.

Achieving India's 5 million tonnes (MT) green hydrogen (GH2) production target by 2030 will be marred by serious challenges as this will require the large-scale integration of renewable energy (RE) into the grid, which, due to its intermittent nature is bound to impact grid operations significantly. This study aims to assess the implication of GH2 production on grid operations with a power system simulation exercise by determining the optimal RE and electrolyser capacities. The simulation output shows that 135 GW of RE capacity with 84 GW wind and 51 GW solar is required to generate 310 billion units of electricity to power 74 GW of electrolyser capacity with a peak demand of 409 GW, an increase of 67 GW (compared to BAU demand in 2030 without GH2 load). The battery storage requirement is reduced by 6 GW to 38 GW due to the utilization of surplus RE power to meet the GH2 electricity demand. An investment requirement of around INR 10.6 lakh crores is estimated to meet the GH2 target. Producing GH2 without Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) support increases RE requirement by 10 GW to 145 GW and the cost of hydrogen generation by 14 percent to USD 4.1/kg. The study recommends undertaking rigorous transmission planning exercise, recognising electrolyser as flexibility source, developing grid connectivity standards for electrolysers, and forming an industry consortium to promote large-scale grid-connected GH2 pilots.

Alexander Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas (BMC) is one of trusted and used business frameworks among entrepreneurs, strategists, start-ups, large corporations, and innovators. The BMC in fact, has created ample opportunities to usher in business transformation and help leverage organizations of all hues to greater heights. The framework has used in the manufacturing, services and even the social sector which has ensured its applicability and acceptability. In the current research the BMC is being applied on the tourism sector, with specific reference to Community-based Ecotourism (CBET), wherein a community, in a heavily forested tribal area, have adopted a business model under the guidance of the Forest Department (FD) of the state of Tamil Nadu and have made the best of efforts to i) create livelihood options, ii) capacity building for tourism and hospitality activities, iii) preservation, protection, conservation of the forest area which is part of a UNESCO designated Biodiversity site (Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR), iv) promote Ecotourism, which has its impacts on the Environment, Society (Social) and Economy (Economic); thereby creating ample opportunities for business transformation. The CBET model has in fact, created benchmarks through the Ecodevelopment Committees (EDC) and Ecotourism Management Committees (ETMC), which are managed at the grassroot level. Every business no doubt requires and plan and strategy, the EDC and ETMC business models have transformed and showcased to the world, what can be done by a community who are not exposed to the world of business, but are affluent about their existence and contribution to protection, preservation, and conservation. The authors have worked with the community over a period, are juxtaposing the thoughts as propounded in the BMC, which will further support in helping in the business transformation of the Community and its tryst with Ecotourism.

Intermittently open and closed lakes and lagoons (ICOLLs) are globally important estuarine systems that are separated from the ocean by a sand beach barrier or berm. The barrier may open or close naturally because of sand and sediment movement or be manually opened by estuarine managers in times of flooding. As intermittently closed systems, it is important to understand the potential for eutrophication and what are the best indicators. This study investigated water quality, sediment quality and benthic processes in four shallow ICOLLs in Sydney, Australia, that experience a range of nutrient loadings. Manly and Curl Curl Lagoons experience higher turbidity and concentrations of pelagic Chl-a compared to Dee Why and Narrabeen Lagoons. They also differ with respect to general morphology with Manly and Narrabeen deeper and more linear while Curl Curl and Dee Why are shallower and more circular. Relationships between nutrient loading and traditional water quality indicators of eutrophication such as chlorophyll-a, turbidity and dissolved oxygen appeared to be moderated by lagoon morphology and hydrology, which control the ratio of pelagic to benthic production and net accumulation of sediment organic matter. We found that all the lagoons investigated were net heterotrophic, with Narrabeen and Manly the least and the most heterotrophic respectively. Ratios of total organic carbon (TOC):benthic community respiration (CR) varied among lagoons and were likely related to the dominance of refractory organic matter in Narrabeen (~ 99%), and more labile organic matter in Manly and Curl Curl Lagoons (~ 90%). Benthic community respiration increased with nutrient loading rates across the lagoons, suggesting that benthic processes are a critical indicator of eutrophication in these shallow systems. In contrast to the generalised conceptual model of eutrophication in coastal systems whereby nutrient pollution causes a reduction in benthic primary productivity at the expense of increased pelagic primary productivity, our results suggest that benthic microalgal productivity in shallow ICOLLs plays an important role in buffering against eutrophication of the water column but may also contribute to organic enrichment of sediments.

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face a unique set of development challenges and are exposed to some of the most extreme weather events. While the Caribbean region has a limited contribution to climate change drivers, such as greenhouse gas emissions, the region is significantly impacted by the effects of climate change, especially sea level rise, increase in tropical storm intensity, and ocean warming and acidification. The objective of this study is to describe key SIDS case studies completed in recent years, including challenges and opportunities, and to highlight the unique characteristics and lessons learnt that led to the development of the design framework.

Atherosclerosis is a major contributor to the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cholesterol-loaded foam cells play a pivotal role in forming atherosclerotic plaques. Induction of cholesterol efflux from these cells may be a promising approach in treating CVD. The reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) pathway delivers cholesteryl ester (CE) packaged in high-density lipoproteins (HDL) from non-hepatic cells to the liver, thereby minimising cholesterol load of peripheral cells. RCT takes place via a well-organised interplay amongst apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), scavenger receptor-B1 (SR-B1), and the amount of free cholesterol. Unfortunately, modulation of RCT for treating atherosclerosis has failed in clinical trials owing to our lack of understanding of the relationship between HDL function and RCT. The fate of non-hepatic CEs in HDL is dependent on their access to proteins involved in remodelling and can be regulated at the structural level. An inadequate understanding of this inhibits the design of rational strategies for therapeutic interventions. Herein we extensively review the structure-function relationships that are essential for RCT. We also focus on genetic mutations that disturb the structural stability of proteins involved in RCT, rendering them partially or completely non-functional. Further studies are necessary for understanding the structural aspects of RCT pathway completely, and this review highlights alternative theories and unanswered questions.