Fog paradigm for local energy management systems

Cloud Computing infrastructures have been extensively deployed to support energy computation within built environments. This has ranged from predicting potential energy demand for a building (or a group of buildings), undertaking heat profile/energy distribution simulations, to understanding the impact of climate and weather on building operation. Cloud computing usage in these scenarios have benefited from resource elasticity, where the number and types of resources can change based on the complexity of the simulation being considered. While there are numerous advantages of using a cloud based energy management system, there are also significant limitations. For instance, many such systems assume that the data has been pre-staged at a cloud platform prior to simulation, and do not take account of data transfer times from the building to the simulation platform. The need for supporting computation at edge resources, which can be hosted within the building itself or shared within a building complex, has become important over recent year. Additionally, network connectivity between the sensing infrastructure within a built environment and a data centre where analysis is to be carried out can be intermittent or may fail. There is therefore also a need to better understand how computation/analysis can be carried out closer to the data capture site to complement analysis that would be undertaken at the data centre. We describe how the Fog computing paradigm can be used to support some of these requirements, extending the capability of a data centre to support energy simulation within built environments

Phenoloxidase activity acts as a mosquito innate immune response against infection with semliki forest virus

Several components of the mosquito immune system including the RNA interference (RNAi), JAK/STAT, Toll and IMD pathways have previously been implicated in controlling arbovirus infections. In contrast, the role of the phenoloxidase (PO) cascade in mosquito antiviral immunity is unknown. Here we show that conditioned medium from the Aedes albopictus-derived U4.4 cell line contains a functional PO cascade, which is activated by the bacterium Escherichia coli and the arbovirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) (Togaviridae; Alphavirus). Production of recombinant SFV expressing the PO cascade inhibitor Egf1.0 blocked PO activity in U4.4 cell- conditioned medium, which resulted in enhanced spread of SFV. Infection of adult female Aedes aegypti by feeding mosquitoes a bloodmeal containing Egf1.0-expressing SFV increased virus replication and mosquito mortality. Collectively, these results suggest the PO cascade of mosquitoes plays an important role in immune defence against arboviruses

MDCK Cystogenesis Driven by Cell Stabilization within Computational Analogues

The study of epithelial morphogenesis is fundamental to increasing our understanding of organ function and disease. Great progress has been made through study of culture systems such as Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, but many aspects of even simple morphogenesis remain unclear. For example, are specific cell actions tightly coupled to the characteristics of the cell's environment or are they more often cell state dependent? How does the single lumen, single cell layer cyst consistently emerge from a variety of cell actions? To improve insight, we instantiated in silico analogues that used hypothesized cell behavior mechanisms to mimic MDCK cystogenesis. We tested them through in vitro experimentation and quantitative validation. We observed novel growth patterns, including a cell behavior shift that began around day five of growth. We created agent-oriented analogues that used the cellular Potts model along with an Iterative Refinement protocol. Following several refinements, we achieved a degree of validation for two separate mechanisms. Both survived falsification and achieved prespecified measures of similarity to cell culture properties. In silico components and mechanisms mapped to in vitro counterparts. In silico, the axis of cell division significantly affects lumen number without changing cell number or cyst size. Reducing the amount of in silico luminal cell death had limited effect on cystogenesis. Simulations provide an observable theory for cystogenesis based on hypothesized, cell-level operating principles

Modelling Energy Demand Response Using Long-Short Term Memory Neural Networks

We propose a method for detecting and forecasting events of high energy demand, which are managed at the national level in demand side response programmes, such as the UK Triads. The methodology consists of two stages: load forecasting with long short-term memory neural network and dynamic filtering of the potential highest electricity demand peaks by using the exponential moving average. The methodology is validated on real data of a UK building management system case study. We demonstrate successful forecasts of Triad events with RRMSE ≈ 2.2% and MAPE ≈ 1.6% and general applicability of the methodology for demand side response programme management, with reduction of energy consumption and indirect carbon emissions

Planning for post-war London: The three independent plans, 1942-3

During the Second World War, the question of the reconstruction and replanning of London generated a lively and informed debate which ranks as one of the most influential episodes in the history of urban and regional planning. Despite wartime disturbance and restrictions, three independent bodies published plans for London and its region in 1942 and 1943. These plans were to be overshadowed by the two official plans for the County of London and for Greater London which were published between 1943 and 1945. However, the preparation of the independent plans, and the debates which they engendered, help to set London planning policy in a broad perspective. They also suggest that planning options in the capital and its region were more constrained than myth would suggest.. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

The metabolism of [14C]dopamine in the decapod crustacean upogebia littoralis

1. 1. Dopamine-β-hydroxylase, N-methyltransferase, and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) were demonstrated in vitro in the hepatopancreas of Upogebia littoralis. By these enzymes dopamine can be transformed to noradrenaline, adrenaline, normetanephrine, and metanephrine. 2. 2. The in vivo study of dopamine metabolism was carried out by injection of radioactive dopamine. The examination was performed 1 hour after the administration of dopamine. Noradrenaline, adrenaline, and (to a smaller extent) normetanephrine and metanephrine were demonstrated. 3. 3. It was found that the whole heads of Upogebia littoralis are capable of synthesizing noradrenaline and adrenaline in small amounts, contrasting with the greater capacity of the hepatopancreas in the formation of the above substances. 4. 4. The possible pathways of dopamine metabolism in the hepatopancreas of Upogebia littoralis were proposed. © 1971