The diversity of residential electricity demand – a comparative analysis of metered and simulated data

A comparative study between simulated residential electricity demand data and metered data from theUK Household Electricity Survey is presented. For this study, a high-resolution probabilistic model wasused to test whether this increasingly widely used modelling approach provides an adequate represen-tation of the statistical characteristics the most comprehensive dataset of metered electricity demandavailable in the UK. Both the empirical and simulated electricity consumption data have been analysedon an aggregated level, paying special attention to the mean daily load profiles, the distribution of house-holds with respect to the total annual demands, and the distributions of the annual demands of particularappliances. A thorough comparison making use of both qualitative and quantitative methods was madebetween simulated datasets and it’s metered counterparts. Significant discrepancies were found in thedistribution of households with respect to both overall electricity consumption and consumption ofindividual appliances. Parametric estimates of the distributions of metered data were obtained, and theanalytic expressions for both the density function and cumulative distribution are given. These can beincorporated into new and existent modelling frameworks, as well as used as tools for further analysis

Long term therapeutic efficacy of a soft monobloc mandibular advancement device in adults with obstructive sleep apnea

To evaluate the long term (48 months) therapeutic efficacy of a soft monobloc mandibular advancement device in adult patients with mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea

A Simple Four Quadrants Model to Monitor the Performance of Local Governments

This paper, conducted as part of the research activities of SOSE S.p.A., develops a simple and innovative model to evaluate the performance of local government in the provision of local public services. The model employs a reduced set of information and fewer assumptions than traditional techniques such as Data Envelopment Analysis and Stochastic Frontier Analysis. The main idea is to base the model on the joint graphical analysis of standard expenditures needs and standard level of services both estimated using a reduced form approach derived from a general theoretical framework based on the interaction between the demand and the supply for local public services. Data about social care services provided by Italian municipalities in 2010 are used to test the model

Low-dose CT protocol for orthodontic diagnosis.

AIM: This was to correlate the dosimetric evaluation with high diagnostic accuracy by suggesting a protocol that significantly reduces the dose administered by a Dentascan exam without affecting diagnostic accuracy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 17 patients were selected consecutively (7 males and 10 females) of a mean age of 11.2 (8-14 years) who sought orthodontic treatment. They needed CT control before and after treatment with RME to evaluate impacted canines. The study was performed using a multidetector 16-rows CT with two protocols that provided 2 different KV acquisition parameters: 80 KV or 120 KV. Radiation dose was evaluated in two ways: CTDI and DLP. Image quality was rated and the results were compared to identify significant differences in terms of image quality, radiation exposure and presence of artefacts. RESULTS: The 80 KV scanning has a significantly lower effective radiation dose compared to the 120 KV scanning (p <0.05). The images of all patients were used for comparing the protocols in terms of image quality. The mean scores for the 80 KV scanning images were 4.18 +/-0.81 and 4.41 +/-0.80 for dose obtained by 120 KV scanning. The median image quality was 4 (good) for both protocols. The 80 KV protocol allowed, as well as the 120 KV, a careful analysis by the orthodontist and the dental surgeon that together, based on this images, can choose the best line of treatment between several available options. CONCLUSION: 80 KV protocols compared with 120 KV protocols resulted in reduced total radiation dose without relevant loss of diagnostic image information and quality. The images were good enough to obtain information about the exact position of impacted teeth and to plan the best line of surgical treatment and mechanotherapy strategy

Treatment and posttreatment skeletal effects of rapid maxillary expansion studied with low-dose computed tomography in growing subjects

Introduction: The aim of this study was to apply low-dose computed tomography (CT) to evaluate treatment and posttreatment effects produced by rapid maxillary expansion (RME) at the levels of the midpalatal suture and the pterygoid processes. Methods: A sample of 17 subjects (7 boys, 10 girls; mean age, 11.2 years) was analyzed. Multi-slice CT scans were taken before RME, at the end of the active expansion phase, and after a retention period of 6 months. Statistical analysis was performed with ANOVA for repeated measures with post-hoc tests. Results: The amounts of opening of the midpalatal suture during the active phase of expansion were 3.01, 2.17, and 1.15 mm for the anterior, middle, and posterior suture widths, respectively. Pterygoid width also showed a statistically significant increase (1.49 mm). In the postretention period, all transverse measurements had significant decreases except for pterygoid width. Conclusions: At the end of the retention phase after RME therapy, the transverse width of the midpalatal suture was similar to the pretreatment width, whereas the width between the pterygoid processes was significantly increased

Intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric test, using a force platform

To evaluate the intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric examination. METHODS: Single blind clinical trial conducted in two sessions over two weeks. 44 healthy volunteers free from postural and temporomandibular disorders. All the subjects complied with the criteria for completing the study. All the subjects underwent two sessions of posturo-stabilometric examinations in different visual and mandibular conditions. Sway area, sway length and the coordinates of the center of pressure were evaluated and statistically analyzed using the Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: All the posturo-stabilometric parameters seemed to have an excellent reproducibility with overall ICCs higher than 70% and good confidence intervals except for the sway area (ICC 0.422 with CI 0.283-0.560 with open eyes and ICC 0.554 with CI 0.424-0.683 with closed eyes). CONCLUSIONS: The posturo-stabilometric examination carried out using a force platform has a good intrasession and intersession reliability, especially considering sway velocity, COP X and COP Y parameters. The force platform usefulness in analyzing static posture is confirmed in any medical field

Influence of activation protocol on perceived pain during rapid maxillary expansion

To investigate the influence of two different activation protocols on the timing and intensity of pain during rapid maxillary expansion (RME)

C-peptide: a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in subjects with established atherosclerotic disease

Aim: Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are independent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Levels of C-peptide are increased in these patients and its role in the atherosclerosis progression was studied in vitro and in vivo over the past years. To evaluate the possible use of C-peptide as cardiovascular biomarkers, we designed an observational study in which we enrolled patients with mono- or poly-vascular atherosclerotic disease. Methods: We recruited 431 patients with stable atherosclerosis and performed a yearly follow-up to estimate the cardiovascular and total mortality and cardiovascular events. Results: We performed a mean follow-up of 56months on 268 patients. A multivariate Cox analysis showed that C-peptide significantly increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality [Hazard Ratio: 1.29 (95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.65, p<0.03513)] after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes treatment, estimated glomerular filtration rate and known diabetes status. Furthermore, levels of C-peptide were significantly correlated with metabolic parameters and atherogenic factors. Conclusion: C-peptide was associated with cardiovascular mortality independently of known diabetes status in a cohort of patients with chronic atherosclerotic disease. Future studies using C-peptide into a reclassification approach might be undertaken to consider its potential as a cardiovascular disease biomarker