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The Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI) is an instrument that measures long-term overall disability. The objective of this study was to evaluate GALI's predictive value on mortality while examining variations according to sex, age, and educational level. Longitudinal study. This longitudinal study was based on 42,991 individuals aged ≥15 years who participated in the 2011–2012 National Health Survey and the 2014 European Health Survey in Spain. These records were linked to mortality data up to December 2021. GALI assessed self-reported functional limitation in the past 6 months and classified individuals into three categories: severely limited, limited but not severely, and not limited. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated using Poisson regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health status variables. Compared to individuals with no limitations, those with non-severe limitations had an IRR for mortality of 1.27 (95% CI: 1.16–1.38), and 2.04 (95% CI: 1.81–2.31) in those with severe limitations. Women with severe limitations exhibited a higher IRR (2.32; 95% CI: 1.98–2.71) compared to men (1.73; 95% CI: 1.45–2.08) (P for interaction = 0.005). Individuals <65 years with severe limitations showed a greater association (2.22; 95% CI: 1.58–3.10) than those ≥65 (1.49; 95% CI: 1.32–1.69) (P for interaction <0.001). Among individuals with lower educational attainment, the IRR was 2.08 (95% CI: 1.83–2.37), and 1.87 (95% CI: 1.37–2.56) for the higher education group (P for interaction = 0.017). GALI is a robust predictor of all-cause mortality in the general population and subgroups. The association is stronger in women, individuals <65 years, and those with lower educational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity storage is becoming one of the main challenges for the massive deployment of renewables. Thermal energy storage is gaining momentum, with molten salts-based systems being the state-of-the-art technology. As an alternative, Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES) is a promising system that can increase the system performance in terms of energy storage density, maximum heat discharge temperature and long-term storage capacity. This work proposes and preliminary evaluates the performance of a novel modular Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES) system based on the Calcium-Looping (CaL) process. The modularity allows its integration with multiple renewable energy sources into different high-temperature applications, including hard-to-decarbonise applications. Heat for the charging stage is provided by electrical heaters connected either to a Photovoltaic (PV) facility or directly to the grid. Limestone particles are heated, and once they reach their decomposition temperature (∼ 930 °C at 1 bar), the released CO 2 is removed from the reactor, cooled, compressed, and stored. When the stored energy discharge is required, CO 2 is supplied to the reactor to produce calcium carbonate and release the stored heat (∼ 400–875 °C). In the proposed concept, the solids remain in the reactor, and CO 2 is added or removed depending on the stage. As cases of study of the concept, energy storage systems integrated with PV plants of 0.5 and 20 MW e and grid-based storage are considered. An hourly simulation throughout the year is performed. Results show an energy density above 1 GJ/m3, higher than current molten-salt-based systems. The levelized energy storage cost is below 100 €/MWh for the grid-based storage, highlighting its potential to contribute significantly to the global energy transition. • A novel modular thermochemical electricity storage system is proposed. • The levelized storage cost ranges from approximately 85–190 €/MWh. • All analysed cases exhibit a high energy storage density (∼ 1 GJ/m3). • The implementation of an energy arbitrage strategy proves to be cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A detailed techno-economic analysis of the production of sustainable methane is developed. • Green methane production costs range from 100.67 €/MWh to 201.64 €/MWh. • Costs of CO 2 capture from 58.72 €/ton CO 2 to 61.88 €/ton CO 2. • Coupling Partial Oxycombustion with Amine and Methanation result in 9 years of ROI. This study explores the design of new WtE plants for municipal solid waste management, emphasizing CO 2 capture and conversion into CH 4. Two scenarios are assessed: Waste-to-Gas and Partial OxyWaste-to-Gas, both employing standard 30 % MEA CO 2 absorption technology. WtG integrates waste combustion with external hydrogen purchase for CO 2 hydrogenation to methane. In contrast, Partial OxyWtG incorporates a PEM electrolyzer for oxygen production, enabling oxygen-enriched air for partial oxycombustion. This approach facilitates CO 2 hydrogenation to methane alongside amine regeneration, thus mitigating the energy penalty typically linked with conventional amine processes. When considering realistic PPA prices and methane sale values, Partial OxyWtG emerges as potentially more cost-effective than current WtE plants without CO 2 capture. The cost of methane produced is significantly lower in partial oxycombustion scenarios (201.64 €/MWh and 100–138 €/MWh), primarily due to reduced hydrogen costs, leveraging current PPA rates of 40 to 60 €/MWhe. Additionally, the cost of avoided carbon is computed at 58.72 and 61.88 €/ton CO 2 , respectively. Efficiency penalties decreased from 6.49 to 1.47 percentage points. A lifecycle analysis of the project underlines the significance of incorporating CO 2 capture and utilization in WtE plant design, achieving optimal investment return within 9 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: . In the last decade, concern regarding the preparedness of general surgery graduates to effectively manage thoracic trauma cases has been raised. However, due to limited availability and elevated costs, access to cardiopulmonary trauma simulation models is limited. This article describes our experience implementing a low-cost blended ex vivo tissue-based simulation model using animal by-products that incorporates pump perfusion and ventilation.Design: . Firstly, for validation purposes 8 junior residents, 8 recently graduated general surgeons, and 3 cardiothoracic surgery attendings from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Clinical Hospital were recruited. Proficiency in performing a pulmonary tractotomy and a myocardial injury repair was assessed with global and specific rating scales. Secondly, to evaluate the effectiveness of the model as a learning tool, 16 general surgery residents from different programs across the country were recruited receiving intensive, personalized training on the models. Proficiency was measured before and after the training.Results: . For the validation phase, significant differences among groups according to the previous level of expertise were shown, and therefore construct validity was established. The results of the second phase showed a significant overall improvement in participant's performance.Conclusion: . Effective training and assessment for advanced surgical skills in cardiothoracic trauma can be achieved using a low-cost pulsatile simulation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a review of negative carbon capture technologies. Based on these technologies, here it is proposed an innovative negative emissions power plant combining the generation and storage of energy from biomass, photovoltaic, and concentrated solar power, capturing and recovering CO 2 by producing H 2 or CH 4 as green energy carriers. The main features of the system are i) large-scale energy production system with negative CO 2 emissions; ii) 100% renewable system based on biomass and solar energy with the possibility of integrating other renewables; iii) synergistic integration of processes and systems; iv) recovery of O 2 generated by photovoltaic-driven electrolysis within the process of partial biomass oxycombustion and v) solar-driven limestone calcination. A detailed model of the entire plant is developed to evaluate the integration of the process. The model performance is assessed on an hourly basis throughout the whole year. The base case results show an energy consumption from 1 to 2.1 MJ/kg CO 2 to capture 60–77% of CO 2 emitted from the biomass plant and green methane production of more than 7500 tons/year. The negative emissions associated with the process are -612 kg CO 2 /MWh. It justifies the interest in the proposed negative emissions power plant. [Display omitted] • A synergetic integration of CO2 capture, energy storage and methane production is proposed. • A biomass power plant is considered, resulting in -612 kg CO2/MWh negative emissions. • Solar PV and CSP are integrated into the process to reduce the SPECCA to 1–2.1 kg CO2/MWh. • A large amount of solids storage is required to achieve 70–90% CO2 capture capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A detailed techno-economic analysis of the production of sustainable methane is developed. • Green methane production costs range from 73.9 €/MWh to 180.4 €/MWh. • Costs of CO 2 capture from 58.87 €/ton CO 2 to 73.84 €/ton CO 2. • Average SPECCA and efficiency penalty of about 3.5 MJ/kg CO 2 and 6 % points, respectively. The worldwide deployment of renewable energy is growing exponentially. However, its intermittency limits its impact on the yearly energy contribution to the grid. Thus, coal remains the largest source of electricity generation in the world. Developing negative emissions technologies, such as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Utilization (BECCU), is a promising pathway. This study focuses on integrating waste biomass oxycombustion and a power-to-methane system. A proton exchange membrane electrolysis driven by photovoltaic solar energy is considered to produce hydrogen and oxygen, which is used for oxy-waste combustion in a sub-critical steam power cycle. Depending on the operation strategy, a certain amount of additional O 2 would be required, produced by a cryogenic distillation air separation process. At the exit of the boiler, the almost pure CO 2 stream is further purified, compressed, and sent to the methanation reactor. A quasi-stationary model of the entire plant is developed to simulate different operation conditions and assess the integration efficiency. The results show an excellent integration of the whole plant, with a yearly average efficiency penalty associated with the CO 2 avoided of 6 % points. Since waste biomass is used as fuel, the system provides −610 kg CO 2 /MWh emissions compared to biomass plants without CO 2 capture. Results from a yearly detailed techno-economic analysis show an average levelized cost of electricity of 199.56 €/MWh and an average green methane production cost of around 110.12 €/MWh. These yearly results involve a CO 2 capture cost of about 65.66 €/ton CO 2 , which justify the potential interest in the proposed system for new and retrofitted biomass power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, sustainable organocatalysis has become a relevant target in asymmetric organic synthesis. Among the most successful strategies to achieve "greener" organocatalyzed processes are (1) the elimination of solvent from reaction media, and (2) the use of alternative activation energies such as solvent-free mechanochemistry in high speed ball mills. In recent years we have stepped up efforts in the pursuit of organocatalysts and biocatalysts that allow reactions to take place in the absence of solvent and under mechanochemical activation. In this article we present the application of small dipeptides as chiral organocatalysts under solvent-free and high-speed ball milling conditions, with focus on the asymmetric aldol addition reaction. Finally, we report on recent results using supported enzymes for the resolution of racemic β-amino acids and amines, under mechanochemical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solar photovoltaics stored by using cheap and abundant materials. • The Calcium-Looping process is integrated as electricity stored system (40% efficiency) • Electric-to-electric performance of the whole system reaches 57%. • A notable cost reduction could be achieved as alternative to batteries. Solar photovoltaic plants are today a competitive alternative to power plants based on fossil fuels. Cost reduction in photovoltaics modules, scalability and ease of installation of these plants are enabling a rapid worldwide expansion of the technology. Nevertheless, dispatchability still remains as the major challenge to overcome due the intrinsic variability of solar energy. Most of the current solar photovoltaic facilities at large scale lack energy storage while those with storage systems rely on expensive batteries. Batteries are based on elements such as nickel, lithium or cadmium whose scarcity hinder their sustainability for storing energy in the large scale. This manuscript presents a novel concept to integrate thermochemical energy storage in photovoltaic plants. Furthermore, the concept is also directly adaptable to wind power plants to store surplus energy. The paper analyses the suitability of the Calcium-Looping process as thermochemical energy storage system in solar photovoltaics plants. The system works as follows: part of the power produced in the solar plant provides electricity to the grid while the rest is used to supply heat for calcination of calcium carbonate. After calcination, the products of the reaction – calcium oxide and carbon dioxide- are stored separately. When power production is required, the stored products are brought together in a carbonation reactor wherein the exothermic reaction releases energy for power production. The overall system is simulated to estimate the process behaviour and results show that storage efficiencies of ∼40% can be achieved. Moreover, an economic analysis is developed to compare the proposed system with batteries. Due to the low price of natural calcium oxide precursors, such as limestone, and the expected longer lifetime of equipment as compared to batteries, the Calcium-Looping process can be considered as a potential alternative for improving dispatchability in solar photovoltaic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect that texting with WhatsApp, one of the most common applications for instant messaging, exerts on driving performance. Because distracted driving also affects older drivers, who can have seriously compromised vision, we also analysed the associations between visual-function parameters and driving performance. A total of 75 drivers, experienced in sending WhatsApp messages (≥10WhatsApp messages/week), participated in this study and were divided into four age categories. Visual-function tests included contrast sensitivity with and without glare, retinal straylight and objective assessment of optical quality. Simulated driving performance was assessed under a baseline driving condition (without distraction) as well as a texting condition (WhatsApp messages) while driving. The participants used their own mobile phone. Lastly, objective results of driving performance were compared with subjective self-report data from the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). The analysis indicated that functional changes occurring with age, such as a lower contrast sensitivity and greater retinal straylight, were correlated with a higher number of collisions, longer distances driven outside the lane, and greater standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP). The results showed a significant main effect of age for the driving-performance parameters. Also, compared to the baseline, texting WhatsApp messages while driving worsens driving performance for all age groups, most notably among older participants. Thus, the older drivers' SDLP was ∼14% higher than that for the baseline average of all the other drivers and rose to 29% under distraction, reflecting the impact of secondary tasks. The negative effect of the use of the smartphone during driving was also reflected in the number of collisions, with a greater risk of accidents in all the groups of drivers (by 8.3% for young adults, 25.0% for adults, 80.5% for middle-aged adults, and 134.5% for older drivers). Lastly, participants' subjective responses indicated that younger drivers (18–24 years) had a higher risk of deliberately violating safe driving practices (p < 0.05). The present study demonstrates that texting WhatsApp messages while driving significantly impairs the ability to drive safely, with older drivers being the group most adversely affected. It would be recommendable to include other nonstandard vision tests, which have shown associations with driving performance, in the examination for driver licensing. This would help raise the awareness of older drivers concerning their visual limitations, permitting them to adopt compensatory measures to improve their driving safety. Nevertheless, it is also necessary to raise awareness among the younger drivers of the risks involved in behaviour behind the wheel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (BECCS) presents a great opportunity for power production with negative global CO 2 emissions. This work explores a novel synergetic system that integrates membranes, partial biomass oxycombustion and the calcium looping (CaL) process. Polymeric membranes generate oxygen-enriched air (OEA) with an O 2 concentration of 39%v/v, which is used for partial oxycombustion of biomass waste. The CO 2 -enriched flue gas evolves from the waste-to-energy plant to the CaL unit, where CO 2 concentration is increased up to 90–95%v/v, ready for purification and sequestration. Compared to only oxycombustion systems, the proposed concept presents fewer technological challenges in retrofitting boilers to waste-to-energy plants. Moreover, this new approach is highly efficient as integrating membranes to produce OEA instead of cryogenic distillation systems significantly reduces energy consumption. A novel integration concept is modelled to evaluate the whole process efficiency and the effect of key parameters on the system performance, such as the temperature of the reactors, the membrane surface area, and the partial oxy-combustion degree. The results show that the so-called mOxy-CaL system has an energy consumption associated with CO 2 capture below 4 MJ/kg CO 2 (a 31% lower than that for a conventional CaL process), with a higher CO 2 capture efficiency than oxycombustion and the CaL process separately. On the other hand, the economic analysis shows a higher CO 2 capture cost for the novel configuration than for the typical CaL configuration due to the additional investment cost of the membrane system. Improvements in membrane performance by increasing its permeance and diminishing the required surface area would significantly reduce the economic cost of this novel integration. Using membranes with permeance over 400 GPU would boost the system's competitiveness. • A synergetic CO 2 capture process combining oxycombustion and CaL is proposed. • The so-called mOxy-CaL system has an energy consumption below 4 MJ/kg CO 2. • Membranes permeance limits the profitability of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Calcium-Looping process is a promising thermochemical energy storage method based on the multicycle calcination-carbonation of CaCO 3 -CaO to be used in concentrated solar power plants. When solar energy is available, the CaCO 3 solids are calcined at high temperature to produce CaO and CO 2 , which are stored for subsequent utilization. When power is needed, these reaction by-products are fed into a carbonator reactor where energy is released from the exothermic carbonation reaction. In comparison with currently commercial energy storage systems, such as solar salts, the Calcium-Looping process presents several benefits such as the feasibility to work at significantly higher power cycle temperatures, a higher energy storage density and the possibility to store energy in the medium-long term. The present manuscript analyzes a number of novel Calcium-Looping configurations for energy storage combined with CO 2 cycles in a solar tower plant. The high overall efficiencies achieved (32–44%, defined as the ratio of net electric power production to net solar thermal power entering the calciner) indicate a potential interest for the integration of the Calcium-Looping process in Concentrating Solar Power Plants, although major technological challenges related to the design of the solar receiver and of the high temperature solids handling devices remain to be faced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient, low-cost and environmentally friendly storage of thermal energy stands as a main challenge for large scale deployment of solar energy. This work explores the integration into concentrated solar power plants of the calcium looping process based upon the reversible carbonation/calcination of calcium oxide for thermochemical energy storage. An efficient concentrated solar power-calcium looping integration would allow storing energy in the long term by calcination of calcium carbonate thus overcoming the hurdle of variable power generation from solar. After calcination, the stored products of the reaction (calcium oxide and carbon dioxide) are brought together in a carbonator reactor whereby the high temperature exothermic reaction releases the stored energy for efficient power production when needed. This work analyses several power cycle configurations with the main goal of optimizing the performance of the overall system integration. Possible integration schemes are proposed in which power production is carried out directly (using a closed carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle) or indirectly (by means of a steam reheat Rankine cycle or a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle). The results obtained show that the highest plant efficiencies (up to 45–46%) are achievable using a closed carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial oxycombustion using Oxygen-Enriched Air (OEA), produced by air-gas separation with polymeric membranes, combined synergistically with CO 2 capture technologies, can reduce the overall energy cost of CO 2 capture, and it is a potential alternative to conventional CO 2 capture technologies. An exhaustive review of polymeric membranes for this application is presented. The best membranes showed permeability values in the 450–25,100 barrer and selectivities higher than 3.6 for large-scale operations. These membranes can produce OEA with oxygen molar concentrations of up to 40% for retrofitting large-scale power plants (∼ 500 MWe) with partial oxycombustion. For OEA production, the polymeric membrane system is more efficient than cryogenic distillation since the specific power consumption of the former is 35.17 kWh/ton OEA. In comparison, that of the latter is 49.57 kWh/ton OEA. This work proposes that the OEA produced by the membranes feed a partial oxycombustion process integrated with calcium looping within a hybrid CO 2 capture system. The power consumption of the hybrid CO 2 capture system proposed here is 29.05% lower than in the case OEA is produced from cryogenic distillation, which justifies the potential interest in using polymeric membranes for OEA production. • Polymeric membranes for partial oxycombustion in CO 2 capture systems are evaluated. • Permeabilities of 500 to 25,100 barrer and selectivities from 2.7 to 5.1 are required in vacuum transmembrane pressures. • Polymeric membranes reduce by 29.05% the energy consumption (kWh/ton OEA). • A CO 2 capture system combining membranes, partial oxycombustion, and CaL is assessed. • SPECCA (MJ/kg CO 2) is reduced by 10.95% using membranes-based hybrid system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel CO 2 capture technology from the integration of partial oxy-combustion and the Calcium-Looping capture process based on the multicycle carbonation/calcination of limestone derived CaO. The concentration of CO 2 in the carbonator reactor is increased by means of partial oxy-combustion, which enhances the multicycle CaO conversion according to thermogravimetric analysis results carried out in our work, thus improving the CO 2 capture efficiency. On the other hand, energy consumption for partial oxy-combustion is substantially reduced as compared to total oxy-combustion. All in all, process simulations indicate that the integration of both processes has potential advantages mainly regarding power plant flexibility whereas the overall energy penalty is not increased. Thus, the resulting energy consumption per kilogram of CO 2 avoided is kept smaller than 4 MJ/kg CO 2 , which remains below the typical values reported for total oxy-combustion and amine based CO 2 capture systems whereas CO 2 capture efficiency is enhanced in comparison with the Calcium-Looping process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]