Selecting and Installing Energy-Efficient Windows to Improve Dwelling Sustainability

[EN] Windows play a significant role in achieving comfort in buildings by letting in natural light, solar warmth, fresh air and permitting outdoor views. On the other hand, poor quality windows can be the source of overheating or unwanted infiltration or exfiltration of air. Quality windows, therefore, influence the dwelling’s energy consumption and consequently its sustainability. Heat losses through the building envelope can occur in any of three mechanisms: conduction, convection and radiation. In all cases, windows are the “weakest link”. As such, windows represent the most important investment in the construction or renovation of any dwelling. They are also highly variable in price, appearance and performance, making their selection an ambiguous and sometimes difficult process. This paper examines a window unit’s energy performance and provides guidelines for its selection, installation and integration into the home’s design.Friedman, A.; Matheson, M. (2017). Selecting and Installing Energy-Efficient Windows to Improve Dwelling Sustainability. VITRUVIO - International Journal of Architectural Technology and Sustainability. 2(2):1-13. doi:10.4995/vitruvio-ijats.2017.7687SWORD11322Baker-Laporte, P., E. Elliot, and J. Banta. Prescriptions for a Healthy House: A Practical Guide for Architects, Builders and Homeowners. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers. 2001Gonzalo, R., & Habermann, K. J. (2006). Energy-Efficient Architecture. doi:10.1515/9783034608626Harvey, L. D. D. A Handbook on Low-Energy Buildings and District-Energy Systems: Fundamentals, Techniques, and Examples. Sterling, VA: Earthscan. 2006Ireland, J. Residential Planning and Design. New York: Fairchild Publications. 2007Jones, L. Environmentally Responsible Design: Green and Sustainable Design for Interior Designers. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. 2008Keeler, M. and B. Burke. Fundamentals of Integrated Design for Sustainable Building. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. 2009Kwok, A. G. and W. T. Grondzik. The Green Studio Handbook: Environmental Strategies for Schematic Design. Amsterdam: Elsevier Architectural Press. 2007Schaeffer, J. The Real Goods Solar Living Yearbook: Your Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living. 12th ed. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. 2005Smith, P. Architecture in a Climate of Change: A Guide to Sustainable Design. Amsterdam: Elsevier. 2005Smith, P. Sustainability at the Cutting Edge: Emerging Technologies for Low-Energy Buildings. Amsterdam: Elsevier. 2007Winchip, S. M. Sustainable Design for Interior Environments. New York: Fairchild Publications. 200

Multiwavelength characterisation of an ACT-selected, lensed dusty star-forming galaxy at z=2.64

We present \ci\,(2--1) and multi-transition $^{12}$CO observations of a dusty star-forming galaxy, ACT\,J2029+0120, which we spectroscopically confirm to lie at $z$\,=\,2.64. We detect CO(3--2), CO(5--4), CO(7--6), CO(8--7), and \ci\,(2--1) at high significance, tentatively detect HCO$^{+}$(4--3), and place strong upper limits on the integrated strength of dense gas tracers (HCN(4--3) and CS(7--6)). Multi-transition CO observations and dense gas tracers can provide valuable constraints on the molecular gas content and excitation conditions in high-redshift galaxies. We therefore use this unique data set to construct a CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) of the source, which is most consistent with that of a ULIRG/Seyfert or QSO host object in the taxonomy of the \textit{Herschel} Comprehensive ULIRG Emission Survey. We employ RADEX models to fit the peak of the CO SLED, inferring a temperature of T$\sim$117 K and $n_{\text{H}_2}\sim10^5$ cm$^{-3}$, most consistent with a ULIRG/QSO object and the presence of high density tracers. We also find that the velocity width of the \ci\ line is potentially larger than seen in all CO transitions for this object, and that the $L'_{\rm C\,I(2-1)}/L'_{\rm CO(3-2)}$ ratio is also larger than seen in other lensed and unlensed submillimeter galaxies and QSO hosts; if confirmed, this anomaly could be an effect of differential lensing of a shocked molecular outflow.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychotropic drug consumption

International audienceImportance Although the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health, there is no comprehensive longitudinal study of the entire population of a country without selection bias. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescription of psychotropic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the French national health data system (SNDS). Design, settings, and participants Prescriptions for psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and antipsychotics) from 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2021 were collected from administrative data provided by the SNDS. This database includes more than 99% of the French population, i.e., 67 million people. The data were analyzed using an interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) model. Main outcomes and measures Consumption of psychotropic drugs was aggregated in months and expressed in number of boxes per thousand inhabitants. Results During the study period, more than 1.3 billion boxes of psychotropic medications were dispensed. Comparison of psychotropic drug dispensing before and after the pandemic showed a relative increase of 0.76 (95 CI 0.57 to 0.95, p <0.001) boxes per month per thousand inhabitants, all classes of psychotropic drugs combined. Three classes saw their consumption increase in an almost similar proportion, respectively, by 0.23 (0.15 to 0.32, p <0.001) boxes for antidepressants, 0.27 (0.20 to 0.34, p <0.001) boxes for anxiolytics and 0.23 (0.17 to 0.30, p <0.001) boxes for hypnotics. The change in antipsychotic consumption was very small, with an increase of 0.04 boxes (0.02 to 0.06, p = 0.001) per month per thousand population. Conclusion and relevance The COVID-19 pandemic had led to an increase in the consumption of psychotropic drugs, confirming the significant impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the general population

Deciphering Lyman-α\alpha Emission Deep into the Epoch of Reionisation

A major event in cosmic history is the genesis of the first starlight in our Universe, ending the ''Dark Ages''. During this epoch, the earliest luminous sources were enshrouded in neutral and pristine gas, which was gradually ionised in a process called ''reionisation''. Hence, one of the brightest emission lines in star-forming galaxies, Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly-$\alpha$), was predicted to emerge only towards the end of the epoch of reionisation, about one billion years after the Big Bang. However, this picture has been challenged over the past decade by the surprising detection of Ly-$\alpha$ in galaxies less than 500 million years old. Here we show, by taking advantage of both high-resolution and high-sensitivity images from the James Webb Space Telescope programs PRIMER, CEERS and FRESCO, that all galaxies in our sample of Ly-$\alpha$ emitters deep in the epoch of reionisation have close companions. To understand the physical processes that lead to the observed Ly-$\alpha$ emission in our sample, we take advantage of novel on-the-fly radiative transfer magnetohydrodynamical simulations with cosmic ray feedback. We find that in the early Universe, the rapid build up of mass through frequent galactic mergers leads to very bursty star formation which in turn drives episodes of high intrinsic Ly-$\alpha$ emission and facilitates the escape of Ly-$\alpha$ photons along channels cleared of neutral gas. These merging galaxies reside in clustered environments thus creating sufficiently large ionised bubbles. This presents a solution to the long-standing puzzle of the detection of Ly-$\alpha$ emission deep into the epoch of reionisation.Comment: Submitted to Nature. 38 pages, 9 figures, 2 table

JWST-JADES. Possible Population III signatures at z=10.6 in the halo of GN-z11

Finding the first generation of stars formed out of pristine gas in the early Universe, known as Population III (PopIII) stars, is one of the most important goals of modern astrophysics. Recent models suggest that PopIII stars may form in pockets of pristine gas in the halo of more evolved galaxies. Here we present NIRSpec-IFU and NIRSpec-MSA observations of the region around GN-z11, an exceptionally luminous galaxy at $z=10.6$, which reveal a $>$5$\sigma$ detection of a feature consistent with being HeII$\lambda$1640 emission at the redshift of GN-z11. The very high equivalent width of the putative HeII emission in this clump (170 A), and the lack of metal lines, can be explained in terms of photoionisation by PopIII stars, while photoionisation by PopII stars is inconsistent with the data. It would also indicate that the putative PopIII stars likely have a top-heavy initial mass function (IMF), with an upper cutoff reaching at least 500 M$_\odot$. The PopIII bolometric luminosity inferred from the HeII line would be $\sim 2\times 10^{10}~L_\odot$, which (with a top-heavy IMF) would imply a total stellar mass formed in the burst of $\sim 6\times 10^{5}~M_\odot$. We find that photoionisation by the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) in GN-z11 cannot account for the HeII luminosity observed in the clump, but can potentially be responsible for additional HeII emission observed closer to GN-z11. We also consider the possibility of in-situ photoionisation by an accreting Direct Collapse Black Hole (DCBH) hosted by the HeII clump; we find that this scenario is less favoured, but it remains a possible alternative interpretation. We also report the detection of a Ly$\alpha$ halo stemming out of GN-z11 and extending out to $\sim$2 kpc, as well as resolved, funnel-shaped CIII] emission, likely tracing the ionisation cone of the AGN.Comment: Submitted to A&A, 13 pages, 8 figures; some typos corrected and some minor additional information added to match submitted versio

Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV

The jet energy scale and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb-1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0. 4 or R=0. 6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pT≥20 GeV and pseudorapidities {pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The jet energy uncertainty is less than 2. 5 % in the central calorimeter region ({pipe}η{pipe}<0. 8) for jets with 60≤pT<800 GeV, and is maximally 14 % for pT<30 GeV in the most forward region 3. 2≤{pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, aiming for an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The systematic uncertainty of the jet energy determined from a combination of in situ techniques is consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined. © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Jet size dependence of single jet suppression in lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions at the LHC provide direct sensitivity to the physics of jet quenching. In a sample of lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 7 inverse microbarns, ATLAS has measured jets with a calorimeter over the pseudorapidity interval |eta| < 2.1 and over the transverse momentum range 38 < pT < 210 GeV. Jets were reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with values for the distance parameter that determines the nominal jet radius of R = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The centrality dependence of the jet yield is characterized by the jet "central-to-peripheral ratio," Rcp. Jet production is found to be suppressed by approximately a factor of two in the 10% most central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. Rcp varies smoothly with centrality as characterized by the number of participating nucleons. The observed suppression is only weakly dependent on jet radius and transverse momentum. These results provide the first direct measurement of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions and complement previous measurements of dijet transverse energy imbalance at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physics Letters B. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/HION-2011-02

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal